Yesterday's Return
by Maggie1
Summary: John takes a nap against his will.


Yesterday's Return  
by Maggie C.   
  
Disclaimer: Earth 2 and the characters do not belong to me.   
  
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He watched the small band trickle out of the ship with disgust. He had never seen such pitiful men and women. They couldn't even let one of their group die when it was her time. ~A mistake I'll have to fix before I exterminate the others.~ he thought. He returned to his cave, where he began sharpening his makeshift knives. Examining one of them, he thought ~Soon, very soon.~  
  
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John Danziger sat with Uly by his side as they stared at the cold sleep chamber that held Uly's mother.  
  
"Mr. Danziger?" Uly's voice broke the silence.  
  
"Uly, you don't have to be so formal. Call me John," Danziger replied.  
  
"Alright, John." Uly fell silent again.  
  
"What were you going to say?" John prodded when Uly did not continue.  
  
After a moment, Uly started speaking and his questions came out all at once. "What's going to happen now? Who'll take care of me while my mom's in there? What if she never gets better? What if . . ."  
  
"Hey, hold on, Uly." John interrupted the stream of questions and knelt to look the frightened boy straight in the eyes. "First of all, we have to believe your mom is going to get better. And to take care of you, you still have Yale . . ."  
  
"But he's a teacher, not a mom," Uly broke in.  
  
"You didn't let me finish. You still have Yale, and me. Before, when we were all sick, your mom had me promise to take care of you if anything happened. Now, I'm no mom either, but do you think I'll be an OK substitute?"  
  
John watched him consider this. "You have True to take care of." Uly said. "I want my mom back." Uly choked out.   
  
John saw the boy was fighting back tears. His heart went out to Uly. John pulled the boy into an embrace. "I want your mom back too, champ," he said, gazing at the woman he loved, locked in the cold sleep chamber. "But until she does come back, I think I can handle both you and True. I talked to her, and she doesn't mind sharing me." he said.   
  
Uly hugged John. "Thank you" he said softly. Uly glanced worriedly at the chamber again. Looking up at John hopefully, he asked, "Promise she'll get better?"  
  
John sighed heavily. He looked again to the chamber that held Devon in stasis, and his heart sank. He held back the tears by sheer force of will. Turning back to Uly, he said, "As much as I'd like to, I can't promise that. I can promise that whatever happens, I'll be here for you. But we have to believe she'll come back to us, okay?"  
  
Uly nodded, still uncertain.  
  
John knew this was the best he would get. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."  
  
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Back at camp, the sadness weighed heavily in the air. Leaving Uly to eat dinner with Yale, Danziger went looking for True.  
  
He found her in their tent, holding a picture of Elle he had given her. When she didn't respond to his entrance, he laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "True-girl? What's wrong?"  
  
She looked up at her dad. "Is Uly going to be okay, Dad? I miss mom so much, and I didn't even know her."  
  
John drew his daughter into a hug, amazed at how grown-up she could be sometimes. He loved her more and more every day. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without her.  
  
"Dad?" True asked, waiting for an answer.  
  
"We'll make sure he's okay, True-girl," he said.  
  
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In the med-tent, Dr. Julia Heller was on the verge of tears. She ran and re-ran every test, desperately looking for the cause of her friend's illness.  
  
Alonzo entered the tent and saw her fighting back tears. Instantly knowing what was wrong, he went to her and wrapped his arms around her. She started sobbing against his chest. "Shh, Julia. It'll be okay. You'll find a cure." he soothed. "Come on, maybe things will be clearer in the morning." He felt her nod against his chest and led her back to the tent they shared.  
  
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Danziger couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept drifting to the woman they had put in cold sleep. He lay in his cot and listened to the sounds of Uly, True, and Yale sleeping. Yale had agreed with him that it would be best if they all shared a tent. John got up quietly and went outside, knowing he would not get any sleep that night. He sat on a rock, staring up at the twin moons, alone with his thoughts until the sun rose and woke the rest of camp.  
  
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Later that day, Julia came running out of the med-tent, yelling to the camp. "I found it! I found it!"  
  
John jumped up, fighting the joy that surfaced at her words. He didn't dare hope yet. "What? You found a cure?"  
  
"I think so," Julia said happily. "I can administer it without even removing Devon from cold sleep. We should know if it works in about a half-hour."  
  
Julia ran to the ship, with John and Alonzo following closely behind her. As she entered the room that contained the cold sleep chambers, she came to a sudden halt, causing the two men to run into her. "What is it?" Alonzo asked.  
  
Julia stepped aside, tears in her eyes, to let them enter the chamber and see for themselves.  
  
"No. . ." John whispered. Alonzo turned pale. The sight that greeted them was horrifying. Someone had come into the chamber and smashed the door to the chamber holding Devon. Whoever did that didn't stop there, they also stabbed her repeatedly. Her body lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Alonzo recovered from the shock first and went to Julia. She hugged him briefly, and then whispered that she would tell the others, her voice breaking. Alonzo nodded and watched her go. He turned to John, who was staring at the body with an agonized expression on his face. "John. . ." he began, but Danziger cut him off.   
  
"Uly and True," he whispered, his voice full of pain. "I have to . . ." He lost the ability of speech and rushed out of the ship before he broke down completely.  
  
Moving away from the ship, he spotted True on the other side of camp. "True," he called, gaining some control over his voice, "where's Uly? I have to talk to you two."  
  
True, too far away to see the state her dad was in, called back, "I saw him go this way. I'll get him." She ran off towards the woods before John could stop her. As he started to follow her, he saw Uly run out of the ship, followed by Alonzo. Uly immediately threw himself into Danziger's arms. Danz shot Alonzo a questioning gaze. "He came in just after you left. I couldn't keep him from seeing her. I'm sorry." John nodded at his friend and turned his attention to the boy sobbing in his arms. "Uly, True went to find you. She doesn't know yet. Will you come with me to tell her?" After a moment, John's words sunk in and Uly released his hold on John's neck to grasp his hand instead. There was no way Uly was going to leave John's side. "We'll be back." John said to Alonzo.  
  
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He surveyed his latest handiwork. It was quick work, but it would have to do. Nodding in appreciation, he started toward the camp to deal with the others.  
  
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Back at camp, Julia was startled by screams coming from outside. After telling the others the news, she had retreated to the med-tent. She needed time to compose herself before she went back into the ship for Devon's . . . body. Glancing outside, she saw a man chasing Bess with a knife. Instantly, she knew this was the same man who killed Devon. Grabbing a sedaderm, she rushed out of the tent. Just as he caught up with Bess, Julia injected him in the neck with the sedaderm. He dropped to the ground, unconscious, as the rest of the camp appeared.  
  
"Thanks, Julia." Bess said gratefully.  
  
Walman kicked the man lying on the ground. He had also figured out that this was Devon's assailant. "What should we do with him?"  
  
"He'll be out for a few hours. We'll have to decide what to do with him after that." Julia said angrily.  
  
Yale surveyed the group, doing a quick head count. "Where are John, Uly, and True?" he asked worriedly.  
  
Alonzo looked around worriedly and replied, "John and Uly went to look for True. She ran off to look for Uly."  
  
"We better go find them." Baines said.  
  
"I know what direction they went. Baines, bring a MagPro in case anyone else is out there." Alonzo said.  
  
"I'm coming, too," Yale said.  
  
Julia nodded. "Okay, Yale, Baines, and Alonzo will go find them. The rest of us will make sure our 'guest' doesn't go anywhere."  
  
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John and Uly trudged in the direction that True had run off in. "True!" they called, getting no response.  
  
"Come on, True. Where are you?" Danziger called. He glanced down at Uly. Uly looked as though if he started crying again, he would never stop. John sighed. He knew exactly how Uly felt. Try as he might, John couldn't banish the image of Devon's body from his mind. He kept seeing her lying on the floor of the ship in a pool of blood. Tears stung his eyes and John quickly blinked them away. He would not allow himself to cry, not now. There were two kids who needed his attention now, so he would have to grieve later. ~This day couldn't possibly get any worse.~ he thought miserably.  
  
He was wrong. John and Uly stepped into a small clearing and were stopped in their tracks. John backed up until he hit a tree and sank down to the ground. The rest of the world disappeared, and all John could see was the horrible sight before him. True was hanging from a tree, a rope around her neck. Blood was dripping out of multiple stab wounds and forming a pool under her feet.  
  
"No. . ." John whispered, feeling the life drain out of him for the second time that day. Uly screamed as soon as he saw his best friend's body and then buried himself in Danziger's arms. John's arms instinctively wrapped around Uly's small body to hold him as he cried, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his daughter. John felt dead inside. They had taken Devon away from him, and now they had taken True as well.  
  
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Yale, Baines, and Alonzo had not been searching for long before they heard the scream. Pausing only for a moment, they took off at a run in the direction the scream came from.  
  
They reached the clearing and stopped short at the sight that greeted them. Uly was still sobbing in John's arms, and John was still staring at True. Neither one noticed the others come into the clearing.  
  
Alonzo, the first one to recover, looked to John and then Yale and Baines. "Baines." His voice cracked and he took a deep breath to try and steady himself. "Go back to camp. Tell them . . ." Alonzo could not finish the sentence. Baines knew what he was trying to say and nodded, his face unreadable. He glanced once more at True before leaving for camp and anger appeared on his face. Baines decided that he would take their 'guest' for a little walk, right off a cliff.  
  
Alonzo glanced at Yale, his gaze holding a question. Yale nodded to show he understood.  
  
Yale approached Uly, still crying, and John, who was still staring at True. Gently, he laid a hand on John's shoulder. John jumped at the contact and whirled his head around. Yale involuntarily took a step back when he saw the utter misery and anguish in the man's eyes. John's eyes pleaded Yale to tell him this horrible day wasn't happening, that it was just a nightmare. But Yale couldn't do that, much as he might wish to hear the same thing. Yale took a moment to compose himself, and then quietly spoke. "John, let's go back to camp." John glanced back at True's body, which was now in Alonzo's arms, covered by his coat. Nodding slightly, he started to get up, no easy task since he still held a sobbing Uly in his arms. Yale moved to relieve John of his burden, but stopped when John shot him an angry gaze. Nodding his understanding, Yale backed off. He could see that they needed each other. Alonzo followed Yale out of the clearing, and John closed his eyes, a single tear trickling down his cheek. His mind screamed at him, and he couldn't silence it. ~They can't be dead! I need them! Please, they can't be dead! They can't!~  
  
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Alonzo's eyes flew open. He sat up and tried to stop his heart from pounding. He struggled to recall the dream that had woken him up. It was no use. He just couldn't remember. He sighed in frustration.   
  
"'Lonzo?" Julia said sleepily. "What is it?"  
  
Alonzo smiled down at the pretty doctor. "Nothing. Just a dream."  
  
"The same one?" she asked.  
  
"I think so. I got the same feeling, a deep sense of loss, but I can't remember the details," he replied, lying back down next to her.  
  
"Do you think it's a Terrian dream?" Julia mumbled.  
  
Alonzo shook his head and smiled, despite his disturbing dream. She was the only person he knew who could carry on a conversation while she was mostly asleep. "Go to sleep doc, we'll talk about it in the morning." He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, trying to shake off the feelings in his dream. Eventually he fell asleep listening to the soothing rhythm of Julia's heartbeat.  
  
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Julia woke early the next morning and was quietly getting ready for the day when Alonzo abruptly sat up in their bed. Julia was shocked at the expression on Alonzo's face. She had no idea these dreams disturbed him so much. Alonzo visibly struggled to calm down and she went to sit next to him on the bed. "Was it the same dream again?" He nodded, not looking at her. She continued speaking. "Why don't you tell me what you can remember. Maybe if we figure out the dream, you'll stop having it."  
  
"Give me a few minutes, okay?" Alonzo spoke again before she could voice her protests. "Let me get ready, and think about the dream a bit. You have to check on your patient. I'll see you in the med tent, okay?"  
  
Julia agreed, reminded of her responsibilities as the group's only doctor. She went to the med tent and left Alonzo to get ready. He didn't want to think about the dream, but his thoughts kept drifting back to it. It was too full of emotion to be a Terrian dream, but since he didn't have the capacity to dream anymore, what did that leave? Even if he had somehow started dreaming again, he didn't think that the dream came from his subconscious. It didn't seem as though the emotions were his. Alonzo struggled to remember more of the dream. He remembered strong feelings of loss and pain, but he couldn't remember the source of those feelings. Images danced at the edge of his mind, but he couldn't quite make them out. He sighed, finished pulling on his boots, and went to meet Julia in the med tent.  
  
When he entered, Julia tossed a greeting in his direction but did not look up from scanning her patient. John Danziger lay on a cot, unconscious, on one side of the med tent. He had been unconscious for three weeks now, after somehow injuring himself. He had been out scouting alone, so no one knew for sure what had happened. If Morgan and Bess hadn't decided to go for a walk that day . . . "So, Doc, what's the prognosis?" Alonzo's voice broke into Julia's thoughts. "How much longer will Danz be laying around, letting the rest of us do the work?" Alonzo's words were light, but Julia caught the undercurrent of worry in his tone. She was worried too.  
  
When Julia didn't reply right away, Alonzo had a feeling something was up. One look at Julia's face confirmed that. "What is it, Julia?"  
  
Julia sighed in frustration. "Do you remember when I said that John's coma was just a way of giving his brain time to recover from the trauma inflicted?" Alonzo nodded. "Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was some sign of trauma, but nothing that would keep him unconscious. I don't know why he's in the coma." She paused to let her words sink in. Seeing that he still didn't understand, she said, "Alonzo, he shouldn't have been unconscious at all, especially not for three weeks."  
  
Alonzo absorbed this news and looked at Julia, shocked. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" He didn't understand why she kept this a secret.  
  
Julia looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, at first I thought that it would take a little while for John to come out of it. So I waited a day or two. And then I waited another day, and another, and another." Alonzo still didn't understand why she didn't tell them, and he told her that. "Alonzo, don't you get it!" she exclaimed, close to tears. "If I can't find the cause for his coma, I can't find a way to bring him out of it, so he probably never will!" Surprising herself with her outburst, she brought her hand to cover her mouth and started crying. That was the first time she had admitted that, even to herself. Alonzo looked at Danziger's unmoving form in shocked silence. He gave Julia a quick hug and she brought her tears under control.  
  
"You okay?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just so frustrated. I can't understand it. There is no reason for him to be unconscious. His brain activity is normal. It's as if he's just sleeping, but nothing will wake him up. I've tried everything. Stimulants . . . I've even tried shouting at him."   
  
Alonzo smiled at that last part. "Come on Julia, you know shouting won't get Danziger moving in the morning. Did you try dousing him?"  
  
Julia smiled at Alonzo's attempt to cheer her up. "Thanks, fly-boy." She looked at him carefully. "Okay, your turn." He stared at her, not understanding. "Your dream?" she elaborated. "Was it from the Terrians?"  
  
Alonzo sighed. He knew there was no way to avoid this discussion, much as he might want to. "No, I don't think so. But it's not my dream, either." He saw Julia's confused expression and explained. "The feelings are not my feelings. It's as if someone else is dreaming, and I'm just along for the ride." He shook his head. "There's something familiar about the dream though. It's like . . ." his gaze fell on John and he was silent.  
  
"What is it?" Julia followed his gaze. "Alonzo?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think John had something to do with the dream. When I saw him, the feelings from the dream came back. It was strange."  
  
Julia thought for a minute. "Maybe he had something to do with the cause for those feelings. Does anyone else bring out those feelings?"  
  
"I don't know. Let me try something." Alonzo closed his eyes and began to visualize every person in the group while he remembered what he could of the dream. For most people he got no feelings at all, then he visualized Uly and got a small reaction. His eyes came open. "Uly brings out the feelings too, but they're much weaker."  
  
"Was Uly the only one?" Julia asked.  
  
"Don't know. I still have you, Devon, and True to go through." He closed his eyes again and envisioned Julia. No response. He visualized Devon next. The feeling of loss hit him immediately. "Whoa," he said softly, his eyes flying wide open. "Devon . . . boy, that was bad." He saw Julia about to ask him a question and cut her off. "Wait, I still have True left. I'll explain in a minute." He quickly pulled up a picture of True in his mind. The feeling of loss that he sensed with Devon hit him again. He opened his eyes and looked over to Julia. "Well, Devon and True both bring out feelings of loss, but they're much stronger than with John and Uly."  
  
"True, Uly, John, and Devon. Well, that fits," Julia said. "Now all we have to do is find out what the dream has to do with them." Julia thought about it for a minute, but couldn't come up with anything. She sighed in frustration. "Do you have any ideas?" she asked Alonzo hopefully.  
  
He sighed as well. "No, I don't." Then Alonzo smiled at the doctor. "Why don't we talk about it tonight. Maybe we'll come up with something by then."  
  
Julia nodded in agreement. They went to get some breakfast before packing up for another day on the road when Julia's gaze fell on John as they left the tent. "Alonzo, wait a minute." He looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Don't tell anyone about John, okay? I don't want to worry everyone just yet."  
  
He understood her reluctance, but still . . . "Julia, you have to tell them soon."  
  
"Yes, I know." Julia sighed heavily. She didn't want to tell them at all, but she knew she couldn't put it off for much longer. She thought for a moment and remembered that Baines and Walman had spotted a lake ahead on a scout. Devon decided that it would be a good place to rest for a day or two and replenish their supplies. "We're going to stop at that lake up ahead tonight. I'll tell everyone there, or at least Devon, all right?" She looked at him hopefully.  
  
Alonzo looked into her eyes and knew that he could never say no when she looked at him like that. "You are so beautiful," he breathed, and bent his head to kiss her.  
  
"I'll take it that means yes," Julia murmured before his lips captured hers. They ended up being a little late arriving to breakfast.  
  
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Devon stretched out in her cot, waking up slowly. She saw the sunlight streaming into the tent. ~Another beautiful day~ she thought, but this thought did not bring a smile to her face. She sensed something was missing this morning, something important. She looked over to Uly and saw that he was still asleep, as was True. ~True? What is she doing sleeping here?~ The fog of sleep began lifting from Devon's mind. ~Wait a minute, the kids have been sharing a tent ever since John and~ her thoughts stopped short as she came fully awake and remembered what was missing. It was John's arms wrapped around her and his warm body next to her. Even after three weeks, ever since that awful day, she still couldn't get used to waking up alone. ~I hope to God I never do,~ she thought as she buried her face in her pillow and tried to control her tears, so she wouldn't disturb Uly and True. ~Yeah right!~ she accused herself. ~You just don't want anyone to know how much this is hurting you.~ She stifled another sob in her pillow as the memories of what happened a few weeks ago flooded into her mind. She remembered Morgan's voice as he called in on gear, the hesitation and the fear. She knew instantly that something was wrong. And then seeing John, lying there . . . She forced the memories from her mind, and clamped down on her emotions. Devon hurriedly got up and dressed and left the tent quietly to grab a cup of coffee.   
  
There were a few people already up. Bess handed her a cup, with a look a sympathy or pity in her eyes. Devon turned away and started to sit down with the rest of the group, but changed her mind when they gave her the same look that Bess had. She abruptly turned away and went to sit at the edge of camp before she bit someone's head off. She did not want their pity!  
  
Devon sighed, she knew she was overreacting. They were her friends, after all. She sipped her coffee slowly, letting her mind wander. Her thoughts drifted to memories of her wedding with John, dancing in his arms and feeling like they were the only two people in the world. Devon smiled and thought back to the night when she and John had finally admitted their feelings for each other. She had been surprised that they were finally able to crumble the barriers each of them had spent years building. Devon shook her head as she thought of all the time they had wasted . . . ~No, not wasted~, she realized. In a way, their relationship had begun the moment they had crashed on this planet. Ever since that first confrontation, they had always been there for each other, challenging, supporting, and learning to trust again. Maybe that explained why they decided to get married the morning after declaring their feelings for each other. She shook her head. It was so unlike her, and John, to make such an impulsive decision, but it had felt so right. Being with John was like . . . coming home. After that night, Devon could not imagine life without him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that she might be forced to live without him now. ~Stop that!~ she ordered herself. ~He is going to get better. I have to have faith, for the kids and myself.~ True was, naturally, taking her father's continued unconsciousness very hard. A bond had developed between Devon and True over the last few weeks from their shared fear and pain. ~John, please wake up, we need you.~ Devon was overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness and she bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.  
  
True arrived, sitting beside her, not saying anything to the woman who came closest to being a mother for her. True could see that Devon was near tears. Knowing how she felt, and that Devon really didn't want to talk now, True remained silent. She leaned against Devon and the older woman put her arm around the girl and gave her a quick squeeze.   
  
After a moment, Devon regained control over her emotions and her voice. Looking down at True, a small smile came to her face. "So, did you and Uly have breakfast yet?"  
  
True nodded an affirmative, but the normally exuberant girl still did not say anything. Ever since the accident, True had become quiet and reserved. She had not laughed once in the three weeks since the accident, and rarely smiled. Devon hoped the girl would have a reason to laugh again, and soon. "Come on, True," she said gently. "We have to start packing." Devon rose. True accepted the offered hand and they walked toward the tent where Uly and Yale had already started to pack their things.  
  
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The group packed their belongings with a quick efficiency that showed they had done it a hundred times before. Yale helped Alonzo and Julia settle John in the hammock they had stretched across the back of the Transrover. True and Uly took their usual places on the bench beside the hammock, which was so small it would only seat the children comfortably, and the group began traveling. Devon walked ahead of the group, with Yale beside her.   
  
The group made good time, and they reached the lake in the early afternoon instead of evening as previously expected. They all set up their tents and unpacked quickly. Everyone wanted to explore the area.  
  
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Finally he had caught up with them. He couldn't sneak in right away, though. He would have to wait until the time was right. It did not matter. He had waited this long to be reunited with his family, he could wait a little longer. He found a hiding place away from their camp, one that would not be easily found. He was careful to stay far away from the people exploring the region.  
  
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Devon let herself be dragged on a quick survey of the area by Yale before she came back to camp and entered the med tent. She tossed a quick hello to Julia, who was giving John his daily injection of hydrators and vitamins. Devon looked around the tent for True. Surprisingly, she was not there. Usually, she had to be pried from her father's side. Devon commented on this, and Julia chuckled.  
  
"Uly came and dragged her off. Said he had to show her something." Seeing the concern on Devon's face, Julia reassured her. "Don't worry, he had his gear."  
  
Devon smiled gratefully and sat next to John's cot. She looked down at her other half and her smile faded. She hated seeing him like this, lying so still, unmoving except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Her hand smoothed the hair back from his forehead and her stomach twisted. She missed him so much. "Julia, how much longer?"  
  
The doctor froze, a lie on her lips. She could clearly hear the fear and longing in her friend's voice. She remembered her promise to Alonzo and she knew she had to tell Devon the truth. She deserved that much. "Julia?" Devon had turned to face her when she didn't answer. Julia's silence set off warning bells in Devon's mind. Suddenly, she wondered if she wanted to hear what Julia was going to say.  
  
Julia looked Devon square in the eye and took a deep breath. "Devon, I can't say how much longer this coma will last. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it." She hated doing this to her friend, but continued nonetheless. "I can't even tell you for sure that John will ever wake up."  
  
The words hit Devon like a runaway TransRover. The irrational fear that she would have to live without him was suddenly no longer irrational. She glanced down at John, then looked back to Julia, her eyes silently begging for some kind of reassurance.  
  
Julia provided it. "Devon, that's only the worst case scenario. There's every reason to believe that he'll come out of it any time now. Just have faith." She gave her friend's shoulder a quick squeeze and then Julia slipped out of the med tent, leaving Devon alone with John.  
  
"John," Devon said as a single tear trickled down her cheek. "Please, wake up, I need you. I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending I'm okay. You have to wake up." He just lay there, unmoving. The tears started flowing freely now. "Please, John, I need you. I love you." Devon choked out, and then buried her face against his shoulder, muffling her sobs.   
  
Devon cried for a long time against his shoulder. She thought that she heard his voice, comforting her, telling her that "Everything will be alright," and "Don't worry, remember, you're the optimist, I'm the pessimist. Worrying's my job," just as he had a thousand times before. She cried even harder when she realized that it was just her imagination. Eventually she was able to stop her tears and she remained in the med tent, sitting quietly by her husband's cot.  
  
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Bess ducked inside the med tent. "Julia, do you have a minute? Oh, Devon," Bess said as she saw Devon looking down at John and grasping his hand. Julia was nowhere in sight. "I'm sorry, I was looking for Julia." Bess said, as a explanation to the startled woman. Devon shook her head, to show it was okay. Bess' heart went out to Devon. She knew how hard it was to sit by and wait for someone to come out of a coma. And she only had to wait a few days for Morgan to wake up. Looking at the woman, Bess could see that Devon's eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. Devon must really be hurting. "Devon, do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"About what, Bess?" Devon said, trying to sidestep the question. She was in no mood for Bess' good intentioned prying tonight.  
  
"Devon," Bess chided. "Keeping your feelings bottled up like this isn't helping. You'll have to let them out sooner or later."  
  
Devon could no longer keep her anger and annoyance at Bess in check. She lashed out at her. "Bess, just leave me alone!" Devon screamed, and stormed out of the tent.  
  
Bess was shocked. That was one reaction she hadn't expected. She was suddenly angry with Devon for yelling at her without cause, and herself for caring. She stormed out of the tent as well and made a beeline for her own tent. "Why do I even bother?" she asked as she entered her tent.  
  
"Bess? What's wrong honey?" Morgan immediately put down the computer pad he was typing on and turned his full attention to his wife.  
  
"Devon. She just yelled at me, and I was only trying to help!" She sat down on the cot, still angry.  
  
"Honey, you know Devon's not angry at you. She knows you were just trying to help." Morgan soothed. He sat down on the cot next to her. "But she won't talk to anyone until she's ready. You know how stubborn she can be."  
  
"Yes, I know, Morgan. I just hate seeing her pretending she's okay when everyone can see that she's not." Bess sighed and leaned against him.   
  
"What, you mean you're not used to it by now?"  
  
Bess pulled away and stared at her husband in shock. "Morgan!" she half reprimanded, half questioned with her tone.  
  
"Bess, honey, come on. How many times has either Devon or Danziger had a close call? And every time, both of them were too stubborn to share their feelings with anyone."   
  
"Morgan, we've all had close calls on this planet. They are not exclusive to Devon and John." Bess was becoming exasperated with her husband.  
  
"But those two are a magnet for trouble." Seeing Bess' disbelief and increasing level of annoyance, he started listing examples. "Come on, that trip for water, the ZED, Devon's illness, when Danziger went scouting by himself and got sick, when he got trapped in the spider cave tunnel, the scouting trip to Pod 9, . . ."  
  
"All right, all right, I see your point." Bess interrupted him, seeing Morgan was set to go on for a while. She sighed heavily. "But I just can't sit by and watch her hide from everyone."  
  
"I know honey, but just be patient. I'm sure Devon will come around soon." Morgan paused. Sensing that issue was resolved, he asked the question that was preying on his mind. "So, uh, did you see Julia?" he asked nervously.  
  
"No, she wasn't there. I'm almost positive though, Morgan." Bess' hand went to her stomach. She looked at Morgan worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"  
  
"Bess, we went through this already. I wouldn't have agreed if I wasn't okay with it. Besides, Julia said it'd be okay, and it's what you've always wanted."  
  
"But what about you? Are you ready to be a father?" Bess was clearly nervous and worried.  
  
"Bess," Morgan shook his head. How did he explain what he was feeling? How could he put into words that even though he was still terrified at the prospect of becoming a father, he didn't find it distasteful anymore? Ever since that false alarm with the spring pollen, he had been thinking about it, really thinking about it. He watched Danziger with True, and even Uly. Morgan saw how they looked up to him, and had complete faith and trust in him. He wondered what it would be like to have someone look up to him and trust him as completely as True and Uly did with Danziger. He thought he would like it, but it also scared the hell out of him. How could he explain all that to Bess? He sighed and said, "Bess, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Yale saw Devon storm out of the med tent. He was confused for a moment, and then he saw Bess storm out of the tent as well. ~So that's what happened.~ Yale shook his head. Bess meant well, but getting Devon to talk about her feelings was no easy task. Especially when she was hurting. And she was hurting very much right now. Yale was worried about Devon. Ever since she was a little girl, Yale had practically been her only companion. She had a hard time making friends as a child. She was rarely around other children, and the ones she did meet shied away from, or worse, teased her because of the image the Adair name brought with it. Devon was never particularly close to her father, but she was close to her mother, and when Mrs. Adair died, Devon was devastated. After he lost his wife, Devon's father pushed his daughter further away. He couldn't stand to be reminded of his late wife in any way, and Devon looked so much like her mother. That hurt Devon, but still, she always tried to please her father, although she never truly succeeded. Yale stayed by her side throughout it all. He was the only friend and confidant she had. She would never let anyone else, besides Uly, get close to her. Of course, she had acquaintances, like O'Neill, but Yale would not call them true friends. She built up a facade of indifference, and carefully developed the manner of voice and the glare in her eyes that sent the recipient scurrying for cover. ~Except for John~ Yale thought with a smile, remembering some of their . . . more spirited arguments. ~Anyone else would have backed down, but John held his ground and gave as good as he got.~ Ever since the crash and Uly's healing, Devon's barriers were easing. She slowly began to let some of these people through. John was the first person to totally break down her walls. ~I pray he recovers soon. If she loses him, her walls might reappear, and then . . .~ Julia's approach broke off any further thoughts he might have had. "Hello, Julia, what can I do for you?" he greeted her.  
  
Julia hesitated, and then spoke. "I'm worried about Devon. I had to tell her some disturbing news and I don't think she's handling it very well. I saw Bess storm out of the med tent, so I assume she already tried to talk to her and failed. I was wondering if you would talk to her. You're the only one she would listen to."  
  
"I can't be certain that she will talk to me, but I'll try, if you think it's necessary. What was it that you had to tell her that has you so worried?" Yale listened to Julia repeat what she had told Devon with increasing concern. He had no idea that John's condition was that uncertain. "You're right, Julia, someone has to talk to Devon. I'll go now." Julia gave him a grateful smile, and then Yale departed to the supply tent, where he had seen Devon retreat to after leaving the med tent.  
  
Yale entered the supply tent and found Devon doing inventory. "Devon, what are you doing? The supplies were inventoried just two days ago."  
  
"I just thought I'd go over them again, while I had the time." Yale didn't buy it for a minute. She was trying to avoid facing her feelings.  
  
"Devon, we have to talk." Yale said, drawing her attention away from the supplies.  
  
"Alright." Devon put down her computer pad and turned to face Yale. "What about?"  
  
"About John." Yale paused for a moment. "Devon, are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine." Devon's face grew stormy and she tried to exit the tent, but Yale blocked her way. "Yale, just leave me alone." There was a note of desperation in her voice. She tried to push past him, but he wouldn't let her go that easily. He would no longer let her try and hide her feelings from the rest of the group and him.  
  
"So you would have me believe that even though your husband has been in a coma for three weeks, and Julia just told you that he might never wake up, you're fine? That it doesn't bother you at all?" Yale's gentle tone softened his harsh words, but even so, Devon stepped back as though she had been physically struck.  
  
"I . . ., Yale, I can't." She sank down on a crate. Devon was fighting mightily to hold back the tears, but she was fighting a losing battle. Yale sat down next to her and put his arm around her. That was all it took. Devon buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. "Yale, I'm so afraid. What if he never wakes up? I don't know what I'll do. I need him too much. I want him here, awake. It's not fair!" She started crying harder now, and Yale pulled her into a comforting hug. Devon cried for a time on Yale's shoulder.  
  
"Devon, don't worry, he'll wake up. It will be all right," Yale soothed.  
  
"But Yale, . . ." Devon said, her tears subsiding.  
  
"Devon," Yale interrupted. "Don't worry, he'll come back to you. I have a feeling."  
  
Devon smiled through her tears. She knew Yale had the same doubts she did, but he was trying to make her feel better. She appreciated that. Her smile faded. ~But what if he doesn't wake up?~ "Yale, I love him so much," she said quietly.  
  
Yale squeezed her shoulder. "I know, Devon. We all know."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
The next day, everyone took advantage of a day with no traveling to relax and catch up on some work. Baines and Walman did battle with the TransRover, and the machine was winning.  
  
"Dammit!" Walman yelled, his voice muffled from under the huge vehicle. Magus and Denner looked over from where they were having much more success with the ATV and Dunerail. He pulled himself out from under the 'Rover and grabbed a tool. Walman caught Magus' and Denner's grins and shot them a dirty look. ~They would have to draw the easy vehicles,~ he thought. He looked back to the 'Rover. "This thing's a piece of junk!" he yelled, frustrated.  
  
"Now, Walman, calm down. You don't want Danziger to catch you . . ." Walman stared up at Baines and he cursed himself as he realized his mistake. "Three weeks, and I keep doing that!"  
  
"Hey man, I know." Walman said. "I think it's wishful thinking. If Danz was here, we wouldn't have to deal with this thing." He subjected the TransRover with a vicious glare. "He'd be the one swearing at the darn machine."  
  
"Yeah." Baines was still angry at his mistake and felt like depressing himself further. "I just got to get it in my head that he's out of it for a while." He threw down the tool he was holding. "Heck, at this rate, he's never going to wake up." Baines whirled around, startled, as he heard a choked sob from behind him. True and Uly were standing right behind him. It was True who had let out the sob, and she looked up at him, shaking her head and holding back tears. Uly looked near tears as well. "Oh, no. True . . ." Baines yelled as the girl ran off into the woods. The scene had attracted the attention of the entire camp, and a group began gathering around the TransRover. Devon caught Uly by the arm as he tried to run after True. "Uly, stay by camp. I'll go get True." She glared angrily at Baines, telling him she had overheard his comment. Baines could not meet her gaze. Then she took off in the direction True had run off in. Baines looked at the group gathered around the 'Rover, and his gaze fell on Uly, who, prohibited from running off like True had, settled on staring at Baines in shock and anger. Baines mentally berated himself. ~I can't believe I said something so stupid! What was I thinking?~ "Uly, I . . ." He never got to finish his sentence. Uly just glared at him and stormed to the other side of camp, toward the med tent. Baines watched him go.  
  
"Baines, what were you thinking!?" Denner shouted at him. She stood with Magus, who was glaring at Walman, as if he should have prevented this somehow. Walman was looking at the ground, not meeting anyone's eyes. Baines swallowed, and then finally met Yale's gaze. The tutor was glaring silently at him. "I don't know. I'm so sorry. I was just . . ."  
  
"Worried about Danziger," Cameron filled in. Baines turned his head and finally saw an understanding face. Baines nodded gratefully. Cameron nodded back. "Yeah, we're all worried about him."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Alonzo watched the whole scene from the sidelines. He saw Uly stomp off toward the med tent. As he approached it, Uly hesitated. Even from the distance he was at, Alonzo could see that Uly was very upset. Throwing a quick look around, Uly changed directions and headed toward the lake.   
  
~I wonder why Uly was so upset?~ Alonzo thought, confused. His thoughts broke off as realization dawned on him. ~Oh, I'm an idiot! We're all idiots!~ Alonzo hurried after Uly. ~We were all so shocked by John's accident, and then we were all worried about Devon and True. No one thought how this would affect Uly!~ As Alonzo approached the lake, he calmed somewhat. He realized that Uly was also concerned about his mom and True, and didn't want anyone to worry about him. He hid his feelings, but that didn't mean that he didn't have them. Alonzo came to the lake to find Uly there, skipping stones across the water.  
  
"Uly." Alonzo announced his presence. Startled, Uly glanced back at him. "Oh, hi Alonzo," Uly said, and with that, he turned back to his stones.  
  
Alonzo watched as Uly threw a stone and it skipped one, twice, . . ., five times across the surface of the water. "That's pretty good, Uly. Where'd you learn to skip stones so well?"  
  
Uly paused in mid throw. He bit his lip as he remembered.  
  
********  
  
"Now, you swing your arm back, keep the stone parallel to the water, that's right, and just let it go!" Uly released the stone, and it skipped twice across the water before sinking. "That's great! Uly, you're a natural." Uly looked up at a smiling John Danziger. "Thanks John." Uly had, at first, been uncomfortable calling him by his first name. It seemed impolite, but he soon grew used to it. 'Mr. Danziger' was just too impersonal. "You're a good teacher." John looked at the setting sun. He smiled down at his wife's son. "We'd better get back. Your mom will worry." Uly made a face. ~She worries too much~ he thought, and said so. John just laughed, and slung him up on his shoulders as they headed back to camp.  
  
********  
  
John had spent the whole afternoon with Uly, exploring the area they had stopped at before the stone-skipping lesson. True had been engrossed with something Julia was doing, and his mom had been busy. Uly was bored. John had noticed, and had made time for Uly.  
  
All this passed through Uly's mind in a matter of moments. Dropping the stone he was holding, he answered simply. "John taught me."  
  
Alonzo had figured as much from the look that had passed over Uly's face. ~I wonder where Danziger learned to skip stones?~ Alonzo quickly dismissed the thought that drifted across his mind. It didn't matter. Alonzo shifted gears, since he knew that he would get nowhere with the direct approach. "Uly, who was your father?" he asked. No one really knew who Uly's father had been. There was some speculation, and it was generally assumed that whoever it was, he couldn't handle having a child with the Syndrome.  
  
Uly looked at Alonzo strangely. "I don't have a father. Mom wanted a baby, but she didn't have a husband or a boyfriend, so she went to the doctor by herself and got me."  
  
Alonzo was surprised, to say the least. At how Uly phrased that as well as what he said. ~I wonder how much Devon told him about the facts of life?~ As for what Uly said, Alonzo wondered why no one had considered the possibility of artificial insemination. That procedure wasn't normally done, but it wasn't unheard of either. Devon hadn't told any of them about this. Of course, Danz probably knew, but that was another matter entirely. He looked at Uly, who was still gazing at him strangely. Alonzo sat down and motioned for Uly to sit next to him. Uly did, and they watched the lake in silence for a few minutes.  
  
~John has really been the only father Uly's known.~ Yale, Alonzo supposed, tried to be the boy's friend, seeing as how Uly couldn't have had many other friends. This whole thing was a mess. Uly was hurting, and wouldn't let anyone see that because he didn't think he should be hurting. ~Uly has a right to be scared and hurt. John's still your dad, even if he isn't actually your father. No matter what anyone might think.~ Alonzo wanted to tell Uly that, but he sensed that wouldn't be smart. He'd have to be careful with what he said. He didn't want to hurt Uly more, he just wanted to help him.  
  
"So, you and Danz have become pretty close, huh?" Alonzo said, breaking the silence.  
  
Uly nodded. "Yeah, especially since Mom got sick, and then better. He spends time with me, teaching me lots of neat stuff."  
  
"Almost like a dad, right?" Alonzo asked the question gently, watching closely for Uly's reaction.  
  
Uly stared at Alonzo in shock, and then he abruptly turned away, looking back at the lake.  
  
There was something else there. Something bothering him besides John being hurt. "Uly, what is it?"  
  
Uly thought it over for a moment, and then decided that he could tell Alonzo. "True and I . . . we decided . . ." Uly couldn't seem to get the words out. He took a deep breath and tried again. "True was going to ask if she could call Mom 'mom' and I was going to ask John if I could call him 'dad'."  
  
Alonzo suddenly understood. "But then John got hurt."  
  
Uly bit his lip and nodded. ~I won't cry!~ He had to be strong, to make sure that Mom and True would be okay. "Alonzo, is he going to be okay?" Uly asked   
  
Alonzo's heart went out to the little boy. ~He's hurting just as much as True or Devon, but he's hiding it, just like his mom! We should have seen this coming! John and Uly have been growing closer ever since Devon was sick. Even before that.~ Alonzo laid a hand on Uly's shoulder.  
  
With this contact, Uly could no longer hold back his tears. He started sobbing, and leaned against Alonzo, burying his face in his shoulder.  
  
Alonzo put his arms around him. "Uly, it's going to be okay. John's going to be just fine." He prayed he wasn't lying.  
  
"But what about . . .?" Uly pulled slightly away, bringing his sobs under control, although tears still trickled down his face.  
  
"Baines?" Uly nodded. "He was just scared, same as all of us, and he let it get the better of him."  
  
Uly considered that, and supposed it made sense. He hesitated, and asked his question. "Alonzo, would it be okay if I called John dad?"   
  
"What?" Alonzo was now confused. "Uly, why wouldn't it be?"  
  
Uly shrugged. He couldn't find a way to put his fears into words. "I don't know," he said, suddenly finding the stones at his feet very interesting.  
  
Alonzo was confused for a moment, and then realized that Uly was worried about how John and Devon would react. Uly was afraid that they wouldn't want him to call John 'dad'. "Uly, when you ask John if you can call him 'dad', he's going to be thrilled. So will your mom. You know, they're still worried that you and True might have a problem with them being together."  
  
Uly looked at Alonzo, surprised. "But that's silly. True and me both really like it. I mean, John makes mom happy, and she makes him happy too."  
  
Alonzo smiled at him. "Yeah, well, adults are funny sometimes." Alonzo marveled at how well the two of them were adjusting. "I think they worry that you guys feel left out."  
  
Uly shrugged. "We don't feel left out. It's sort of weird, sharing a tent with True instead of Mom, but it's not like they're ignoring us or anything." ~Actually, sometimes I wish they'd pay less attention to what me and True are doing.~  
  
Alonzo started laughing and Uly realized he said that last part out loud. He immediately turned red, but Alonzo's laughter was infectious, and soon Uly was laughing too.  
  
They quieted down after a few minutes. "So, pal, you ready to go back?" Alonzo asked. "Your mom and True are probably back already." Uly nodded, and they both headed back to camp.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, True was running through the forest, crying. She was so upset, she didn't hear Devon running after her, calling her name. She stumbled over a tree branch lying on the ground and didn't bother to get up. She just lay on the ground, sobbing. Devon caught up to her and gathered her in her arms. True clung to her like a life preserver  
  
"It's okay, True. Everything will be okay. Shh." Devon rocked the girl in her arms and held her tight.  
  
"No, it's not going to be okay," True sobbed. "Dad's never going to get better. He's not."  
  
Devon's heart was breaking. Tears appeared in her eyes. True sounded so sure of that. "No, True, he is going to get better. He has to."  
  
"No he's not. They never get better." True started crying harder. ~It's not fair!~ she thought. ~First my mom dies before I was even born, and now Dad's going to die too. And just when everything was finally going right for us. Dad and Devon got married, and we were all a family. I was going to ask if I could call Devon 'mom', and now he's going to die! It's not fair!~  
  
Devon knew True had to be talking about her mother. True, no," Devon said. "Your dad isn't like your mom." True jerked away from Devon. "I know what happened to your mom, True, and it's nothing like what happened to your dad. Julia can tell you that herself." Devon smiled at the girl, tears shimmering in her eyes. "You'll see. Any day now, your dad will wake up, as cranky as ever."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid that's not quite accurate. You see, he's never going to wake up." True and Devon both jumped and turned toward the unfamiliar voice. They saw a man standing there, aiming a crossbow at them. Devon went pale as she recognized the man from her past. ~No, it can't be him! They told me he was dead!~ "Hello again, Devon," he said. "It's been a long time, darling." He moved closer to them and Devon grabbed True and held her protectively. He stared at True. "So, this is her. She's beautiful, Devon. We have a beautiful daughter."  
  
At this statement, both True and Devon stared at him in shock. True recovered first, and before Devon could stop her, she blurted out, "You're not my father! My dad's back in camp!"  
  
The man looked at her in surprise, and then turned his angry gaze to Devon. "What lies have you been telling her?" He turned his attention back to True, and said, "Soon, you'll learn the truth." True was about to protest again, but Devon quieted her. "Come on, let's go," he said, gesturing with his crossbow.  
  
Devon found her voice. "Where are we going?" she asked unsteadily.  
  
The man stared at her impassively. "You'll see," he said simply. He gestured with his crossbow again. Devon got to her feet slowly, and started walking in the direction he was pointing. She gripped True's hand firmly, keeping her close. ~Oh God, what am I going to do?~ Devon thought, as the man prodded them deeper into the forest.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Yale was sitting by the fire, reading A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. It was one of his favorite books. ~I'm glad I had time to grab it before the crash.~ The thought drifted across Yale's mind as he finished the chapter he was on. He heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see Baines standing there. Yale started to become angry at what Baines had said earlier, and then reconsidered. The man was truly sorry for what he had said. He hadn't meant to cause any harm. "Hello, Baines," Yale said amicably.  
  
Baines breathed a sigh of relief that Yale wasn't still angry with him. "Yale, have you seen Devon? I want to apologize for what I said earlier."  
  
Yale looked around and saw that it had become very late. He was so engrossed in his book, he hadn't even noticed. Devon and True should have been back a long time ago. He grew concerned. "Aren't they back yet?" he asked.  
  
Baines became worried too when he heard that they weren't back yet. "I looked around camp, but I didn't see them. I thought you'd know where she was."  
  
Yale called everyone around the fire. "Has anyone seen True or Devon?" A chorus of "They aren't back yet?" and "I haven't seen them" answered him. "We have to go out and look for them," Yale said. Baines quickly agreed with him and started to go and get supplies for the search.  
  
"Wait a minute," Julia said, stopping them. "You're not going to be able to find them in the dark."  
  
Denner backed her up. "Yeah, guys, we have to wait until it's light."  
  
Yale, Baines and a couple of additional people protested, but the others held firm and convinced them to wait until morning. People drifted off to sleep, a few lingering by the fire. Yale was one of the first to go. He went to his tent, and was relieved to find Uly still there, asleep in his cot. He lay down and closed his eyes, but sleep did not come for a long time.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
After walking for much of the night, Devon, True, and their captor came up to a large cave. It was partially hidden from view by forest growth, but the entrance still stood out. "Well I don't know about you ladies, but all that walking has tired me out," their captor said. "Why don't we all get some sleep. We can talk again in the morning." He led them into the cave. "And just to make sure you don't try to get away, you two will be staying down there." He pointed down a hole, about fifteen feet deep. A long, knotted vine lay curled up beside the hole. He kicked the vine down the hole. "Go ahead. Climb down." Devon motioned for True to go down first. Then she followed her. Once they were both safely down, he pulled up the vine rope, effectively trapping them down there. Devon held True's hand and they looked around. They were in a large area. There was only one chamber and there was a lantern at one end of the chamber, along with a couple of blankets. Devon looked down at True, who seemed very frightened. "True, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling down so she was at eye level with her.   
  
True shook her head. "I'm scared," she said quietly.  
  
Devon smiled reassuringly at her. "That's okay. I'm scared too."  
  
"Who is he?" True asked, and Devon's smile faded.  
  
"His name is Bryan Gibson," Devon explained. "He's a very bad man, True. I knew him a long time ago, on the stations. I thought he was dead"  
  
"Why does he think he's my dad?" True asked. She didn't like the idea of anyone else believing that he was her dad. "I mean, he's not."  
  
"No, True. He's not your father," Devon sighed. "He's completely crazy. He thinks that he and I had a child together. I have no idea why, but he seems to think you're that child."  
  
True was a little less afraid now. "What do we do now?"  
  
"Now," she replied, "we look for a way out of here."  
  
"But he took the vine away. We can't climb back up," True said.  
  
"True, you've been in these caves before," Devon said. "There's always a lot of passages in and out. I bet if we look around, we'll find another way out of here."  
  
True agreed, and they both started looking around. In spite of what she said, Devon wasn't very hopeful that they would find a way out. She was almost about to give up, when True called her over to the other side of the chamber. She sounded excited, so Devon rushed over. True had found a small crawl space hidden behind some rocks. Devon was surprised that True had found it at all. "Good job, True," Devon praised. She looked closer at the hole. She wouldn't fit. Devon smiled at True. "Okay, you'd better go."  
  
"What about you?" True protested.  
  
"I'm too big. I'd never be able to get through. No, True," she said, cutting off her protests. Devon laid a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled a little half-smile. "Look, you know the way back right?" True nodded, a little uncertain. "Go back to camp and bring them back here. Go straight back, alright?" True nodded, but opened her mouth to argue some more. She didn't want to leave Devon alone with that man. "True, no arguments. Go back to camp and get help. Go on," Devon said when True still didn't start moving. True threw her arms around Devon and she returned the hug, squeezing True tightly. Then she helped True climb through the hole and into the passage. "Good luck," she said, too softly for the girl to hear. She covered the hole with the rocks again, and arranged the blankets so that it looked as if someone was sleeping. She knew it was dangerous to send True out there on her own at night. She might get lost or hurt herself. But Devon was more frightened of what would happen to her if she stayed here, with Gibson. She still couldn't believe he was alive, but she knew she could never mistake his face. The memories of what he did still haunted her. Devon started to become very frightened. ~What will he do now? Oh God, what am I going to do?~ she thought, repeating her earlier plea. She backed up against the rock wall, rested her head on her knees, and tried to control the terror she was feeling. She wasn't very successful, and she prayed that morning, and a rescue, would come soon.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
The sun rose and morning came. The group slowly awoke, one by one. Yale awoke early after a restless night. He did not get much sleep at all. He got up and quickly began to get ready to search for Devon and True.  
  
For Alonzo, dawn brought yet another morning of waking in a cold sweat from the dream plaguing him. Julia came fully awake as Alonzo tried to calm his racing heartbeat.  
  
"The same dream again," said Julia. It was not a question.  
  
"Yeah, and I think they're getting stronger," Alonzo said, finally calming down somewhat.  
  
"I've been thinking," Julia said. "Why don't you try contacting the Terrians about your dream?" Seeing that he was about to protest, she continued. "I know the dream doesn't have anything to do with them, but they might know something about it, more than you can remember. And it's still early. We won't begin searching for a while yet."   
  
Alonzo agreed with that, and closed his eyes to contact the Terrians via the dreamplane. He reached out with his mind and found himself on a warped version of the dreamplane. Alonzo was bombarded by emotions. He couldn't understand it. The dreamplane was normally almost devoid of emotions. He surveyed the dreamplane and saw something that shocked him. "John?" Danziger stood in the distance, and as Alonzo moved closer to him, he could see that John was walking into a clearing with a dream form of Uly. Suddenly, both of them stopped dead in their tracks. Alonzo could make out the body of a dream True even from the distance he was standing. The scene triggered his memory and he finally recalled the dream that had been torturing him. "No!" he shouted, exiting the dreamplane. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes to see Julia hovering worriedly over him. "I have good news and bad news," he said, sitting up. "The good news is that I think I know why John's unconscious." He took another deep breath. "The bad news is . . . I don't have a clue what to do about it."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
The group was getting ready to start searching when Julia and Alonzo came up. "We're not going to go," Julia said. This surprised everyone, until Alonzo explained that Danziger was trapped on the dreamplane. Since Uly was still in his tent, Alonzo also summarized the dream that John was living while he was trapped there. The reactions to this were varied. Most were shocked, and a few people looked sick. Yale looked especially concerned.  
  
"Someone needed to stay behind with Uly anyway. Alonzo's going to try and see if he can bring John off the dreamplane," Julia said.  
  
"Yeah, so you guys better get going," Alonzo said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "Because if Devon and True are still missing when he wakes up, he's going to be mad."  
  
A worried look was still evident on Yale's face. Julia, who was standing next to him, tried to reassure him. "Yale, I'm sure they just got turned around. Neither of them were exactly watching what direction they were going in when they left."  
  
Yale nodded, but he still wasn't convinced. He had a bad feeling that something horrible had happened to both of them. "I explained to Uly what happened this morning."  
  
"Okay. I'll tell him what's going on with John. Don't worry," she said, seeing Yale was about to interrupt. "I'm not going to tell him what John's dreaming about unless it's absolutely necessary." Yale thanked her and then left to get his gear.  
  
Bess was making sure she had all her gear. Morgan came up to her with a worried look on his face. Bess sighed. She knew what was coming, and anticipated his question. "No, Morgan, I'm not staying in camp. I want to help search." She had thought that she made her point to him last night, when they argued over whether or not Bess would accompany the search parties.  
  
"Bess, honey, we don't even know what's out there. I just don't want anything to happen to you or the baby." Morgan was always worried that something would happen to Bess, and now, with her being pregnant (maybe), he was twice as worried.  
  
"Morgan, I'm going," Bess stated firmly. She gave in a little when she saw the look on his face. "Look, I promise, nothing's going to happen. We can even come back early, alright?" Morgan still looked dissatisfied, but he agreed nonetheless.  
  
Last minute plans were exchanged, and gear sets were checked. Then the search began. Julia and Alonzo watched them go with Uly, who had come out to wish everyone luck. Julia looked at Alonzo. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Yeah, let's get started," Alonzo said, and led the way to the med tent.  
  
Uly was lost in his thoughts, and almost didn't hear this exchange. Although he tried not to show it, he was really scared. John was hurt, and now Mom and True were missing. Yale said that they were just lost, but Yale was too worried for it to be that simple. Uly hurried to follow Julia and Alonzo and looked from one to the other in confusion. "What's going on?" he asked.  
  
The three of them entered the med tent. Alonzo faced Uly. "I've been having dreams lately. I couldn't remember them, but I knew they were important, so I tried to contact the Terrians this morning to see if they knew what it was about. There were no Terrians on the dreamplane, but I did see John there."  
  
Uly stared at Danziger's prone form, and then at Alonzo. "He's on the dreamplane? But then why doesn't he just come off of it?" Uly asked in confusion.  
  
Julia answered him. "He doesn't know he's on the dreamplane, Uly. He thinks that what he's seeing is real."  
  
"How come?" Uly asked.  
  
"We don't know, champ. I'm going to see if I can get Danz to remember what's real," Alonzo said.  
  
"I can go with you," Uly said eagerly. He wanted to help somehow.  
  
"No, I don't think so," Alonzo said quickly. He glanced at Julia. They both wanted to keep Uly from finding out what John was dreaming. Uly's face fell and Alonzo felt a stab of guilt. "Hey Uly, this will be a piece of cake. I bet I can get John off in less than five minutes. Time me, okay?" He ruffled Uly's hair. He looked to Julia. "Okay, here I go." Alonzo reached out to the dreamplane.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Danziger stood silently in front of the two new graves. He stared at the marker at the head of the smaller pile of earth. The marker inscribed with the name, 'True Danziger'. ~My daughter is dead,~ he thought, without emotion. Then the words sunk in. ~Oh my God, she's dead.~ He dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands while the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. His daughter was gone. She was his whole world, his reason for living, and she was gone. He only had ten short years with her. Ten years of watching her grow from a beautiful baby, to a courageous toddler, to an inquisitive, intelligent, and stubborn little girl. Ten years. It wasn't long enough, dammit! He wouldn't be able to watch her become a woman, give her away in marriage, or see her become a mother. She had wanted to see the ocean. Another thing she would never do. She was gone, ripped away from him, forever. "Take care of her, Devon," he whispered, the flood of tears abating as he looked over to the other grave. History seemed to be repeating itself. When Elle had died, he had gained True. Now Devon and True were both dead, and he had inherited a son, Uly. "I promise you I'll take good care of him." Another stab of pain and grief assaulted him. Devon had never even known how he felt. If only he had realized his feelings sooner! The Elder, who had known him for so short a time, had seen it. "You're in love with her," he had said. John realized he was referring to Devon, but he dismissed the notion as crazy. ~Me, in love with Devon Adair,~ he had thought. ~Yeah right.~ But the moment Devon had collapsed, he knew the Elder was right. He had fallen completely in love with her, and fallen hard. And now it was too late. He would never see her smile again, the one that lit up her whole face. He would never even argue with her again. Then again, maybe it was better this way. What chance did he have with Devon Adair? She could never see anything in him. He was just a drone to her, a mechanic. "I hate to admit how much I've come to depend on that man. Maybe even more than that." Devon's own words danced across his memory, taunting him. ~Now I'll never know,~ he thought. ~She's dead, they're both dead, and I'll never see them again.~ "Oh God, what am I going to do without them?" he whispered, tears flowing down his cheeks. He couldn't imagine living without them, going through each day and never seeing True's face light up in wonder again, never again seeing Devon's eyes flash with determination. "I can't do it. I can't go on without them." But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't really true. He would go on, for Uly's sake. Somehow, he would go on, and he would get the group to New Pacifica. He would make sure he was there to welcome those colonists. But for now, he just knelt, staring at the graves of two people that he loved deeply, and he grieved in silence.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Alonzo appeared on the dreamplane. The same torrent of emotions greeted him again, but this time he was prepared for the immense feelings of pain and loss. He looked around and saw that the dream was in its final scene. The dream cycle would start over again soon. He went over to John, still kneeling by the two graves. He made his presence known, and Danziger whirled around and shot him an angry glare. "I thought I said that I wanted to be alone," Danziger snapped.  
  
"John, I'm sorry, but you need to know something," Alonzo said. "You're on the dreamplane. None of this is real. They're still alive. Both True and Devon are fine." He just stared at Alonzo in shock. "Look, Devon recovered and you two realized your feelings for each other. You got married." John started to shake his head. "You've been stuck reliving this nightmare over and over again. You've got to believe me. Everyone's been worried sick about you, especially Devon and True."  
  
"Alonzo, why are you doing this?" John looked at his friend in shock and blinked back tears from his eyes. "They're dead, there's nothing anyone can do to change that. No," he said angrily, cutting off Alonzo's protests. "I don't know why you're doing this, I have to accept that they're gone. I thought we were friends!" he yelled, rising to his feet.  
  
Alonzo was surprised. He thought that Danziger would believe him. He didn't know what to do, how to convince him this was only a nightmare, and then it came to him. He would just pull John off the dreamplane. Then Danziger would see that Alonzo was telling the truth and he would remember what happened to him. He went up to John and grabbed his arm. Alonzo closed his eyes and tried to push John off the dreamplane. To his surprise, it didn't work. Something, or someone, was keeping John here on the dreamplane.  
  
Danziger angrily shrugged off Alonzo's hand. "Go away! Just leave me alone!" He yelled, shoving Alonzo back. "Stay away from me!" He shoved Alonzo again. Alonzo realized that there was no way Danziger would listen to him now. He would have to go back and try to think of some way to make John see the truth. He closed his eyes again and exited the dreamplane. He opened his eyes to see Julia and Uly looking at him expectantly. Alonzo took a deep breath before speaking. "We ran into a slight problem. He doesn't believe me, and something is keeping him on the dreamplane."  
  
"What do you mean, he doesn't believe you?" Julia asked.  
  
"I told him the truth, and he doesn't believe me," Alonzo replied. "And I don't think I should try to convince him again. He would not be happy to see me."  
  
"Well, what do we do? Who do you think could persuade him?" Julia asked him, troubled. They had to find a way to make John see the truth, otherwise. . .  
  
"I don't know," Alonzo answered. "Seeing Devon or True would convince him, but that really doesn't help us much."  
  
"What do you mean? Why would seeing True or my mom convince John that he was on the dreamplane?" Uly's voice broke into their discussion. Both Alonzo and Julia turned to look at him. Alonzo got an idea and looked back to Julia. Julia saw the look on his face and started to protest even before Alonzo spoke. "No, Alonzo, no. We can't."  
  
"Julia, he's the only other person who can function on the dreamplane. And the only one who has even a chance of convincing John. We have to try." Alonzo reasoned with her.  
  
Uly realized they were talking about him, and spoke up. "I could help. I know I could." He went to Julia and looked up at her, pleading with her. "Please, I want to try."  
  
Julia looked from Uly to Alonzo and knew she was beaten. She nodded her agreement.  
  
Alonzo took a deep breath and turned to Uly. "Okay, champ, I have to tell you what John's been dreaming. It's pretty bad. You remember when your mom was sick? And how she got better?" Uly nodded. "Well, John's dreaming that your mom never got better, that someone killed her and True."  
  
Uly went pale at this. ~I remember!~ The images of the dream flooded his memory.  
  
Alonzo saw Uly turn pale and watched as the boy started to shake. ~Oh no,~ Alonzo thought, ~Uly's been having the dream too! This is not good.~ "Uly, don't worry, it's only a dream. Your mom and True are fine. They're just lost, that's all," Alonzo tried to reassure him. He looked worriedly to Julia. It hadn't occurred to either of them that Uly might have been receiving the dreams too. It should have though, Uly was as much in tune with the Terrians and the dreamplane as Alonzo was.  
  
Uly nodded, ~It's only a dream, it's not real,~ he repeated to himself. He swallowed and asked, "What should I do?"  
  
Alonzo smiled at him. The kid was tough. Alonzo could see that he was still scared, but Uly wasn't letting that fear paralyze him. "Well, I told you that someone has him stuck on the dreamplane, so you won't be able to get him off." Uly nodded, accepting this, even though he couldn't understand how anyone could trap someone on the dreamplane. "What you have to do is show him what really happened. Make him remember the truth. Do you think you can do that?"  
  
Uly nodded. "Are you going to come with me?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
Alonzo shook his head. "I can't, Uly. If John sees me again, he'll get mad. He thinks I'm trying to trick him, to hurt him. You have to do this yourself." Uly nodded. "Okay, you can do this. Are you ready?"  
  
"I think so," Uly replied. Actually, he was terrified. What if John didn't believe him either? But he had to try. He looked worriedly at Julia, who gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
She led him over to a cot. As he settled down on it, Julia said, "Don't worry, Uly. John will believe you. But if you run into any problems, come off the dreamplane, okay? We'll find another way to get John off." He nodded, closed his eyes, and entered the dreamplane.  
  
After Uly entered the dreamplane, Julia heaved a sigh and looked to Alonzo worriedly. "I hope we did the right thing," she said, looking back to Uly. Alonzo came up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders. He also looked down at the small boy who, at the moment, had the best and only chance of releasing John Danziger from the nightmare he was living.  
  
"Me too, Doc. Me too."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
John's thoughts were in turmoil. He knew that Devon and True were dead, that nothing could bring them back, but part of him wanted desperately to believe Alonzo's words, crazy and impossible as they were. ~Why did he do this to me?~ Danziger thought, tears in his eyes. ~They're dead, why would he say what he did?~ He was still sitting by the graves, but he jumped up when he heard footsteps, ready to lash out at whoever was going to disturb him now. John immediately calmed down, however, when he saw that his visitor was Uly. "Hi, Uly," he said, trying to bring out a smile for him.  
  
Uly nodded to John, but his wide-eyed gaze was riveted on the two graves. Actually seeing a grave with his mother's name on the marker was frightening, to say the least. ~It's not real, it's not real,~ Uly kept repeating to himself. He forced himself to look away from the graves and turned to John. His gaze was also fixed on the graves, and he had a resigned, almost defeated look on his face that worried Uly. Uly went over to him and John sat down and pulled Uly into his lap.  
  
"You holding up okay, champ?" John asked. Uly nodded, but didn't say anything. His mind was racing, trying to figure out some way to make John see the truth. Then he got an idea. "Um, I need to ask a favor," Uly said. John looked questioningly at him, his curiosity peaked. Uly continued to speak. "Would you come with me onto the dreamplane? The Terrians said they have something to show me, and I don't want to go by myself."  
  
"Why don't you ask . . . nevermind." John was about to suggest that Uly ask Alonzo to go with him, but then he recalled what Alonzo said earlier. The last thing John wanted was for Alonzo to start feeding Uly false hopes. John sighed and said, "I guess I'll go with you, if you really need me there." He wasn't thrilled at the prospect of going on the dreamplane, but for Uly's sake, he would. Uly nodded gratefully. He stood up and looked at John expectantly. "What, now?" John asked. "Here?"  
  
Uly nodded and said, "Yes, we should go now. I'll bring you on, and you won't even notice it." ~That's because we're not actually going anywhere,~ Uly thought. If he could bring up memories and show them to John, maybe then he would remember. Uly was pretty sure that he would be able to get rid of the nightmare images, and show John the memories that he wanted to. ~I hope,~ Uly thought.  
  
"All right," John said. He stood and took Uly's hand. He closed his eyes like he saw Uly doing, and waited. When he heard Uly say, "Okay, we're here," John opened his eyes. Uly was right, he hadn't noticed a thing. He looked around and saw that they were standing in the same spot as before, with one noticeable difference. Devon and True's graves were missing. "So now what?" he asked Uly.  
  
The boy shrugged. "The Terrians want to show me some stuff. I guess we wait for them to start." Uly was trying to decide what memory to show John first. He wanted to help John to remember, and Uly wasn't sure which memories would help the most. He decided on one in particular and then concentrated.  
  
The scenery shifted and John, startled, jumped back slightly. Instead of unoccupied scenery in front of him, he saw a desert expanse, with their camp set up right there. He looked closely and he could see Bess, Morgan, and . . . himself? He was surprised, and then he looked closer and saw Uly and True splashing each other, and Yale trying, unsuccessfully, to stop them. He smiled then. He remembered this, although he didn't have a clue why the Terrians would be showing this to Uly. It was right after that trip for water. ~Any minute now,~ he thought, and smiled as he watched himself go up to Devon and then drench her with that tin full of water. ~The expression on her face was priceless,~ John thought. He laughed slightly as he watched Devon run after him, and then again as everyone else got drawn into the water fight. He felt tears stinging his eyes as he saw True and Devon, looking so vibrant and alive.  
  
Uly let the memory play out, and then looked at John. The older man's gaze was locked onto the scene before him, and he had a bittersweet expression on his face. Uly had wanted to get him used to seeing memories played out in front of him before he showed him the next memories. Uly concentrated, and the scene before them suddenly shifted.  
  
John started as the water fight scene disappeared. They were suddenly back at the ship. John saw Julia running towards him, yelling frantically that she had found a cure. He shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to see the morning's events again. Uly saw this and tugged his hand, forcing John to open his eyes and look down at him. "You have to watch," Uly said. John saw the little boy's determined gaze and forced himself to turn gaze back to the scene before him. ~What good will closing my eyes do?~ he thought heavily, tears filling his eyes again. ~I'm already reliving this morning over and over in my mind, anyway.~ He saw Julia run into the ship followed closely by Alonzo and himself. The scene shifted to the interior of the ship, and John waited for Julia to stop suddenly, seeing Devon's body, but she never did. John watched in shock as all three entered the room with Devon still sleeping, unharmed, in the cold sleep chamber. Julia administered the drug that she thought might save Devon's life as Uly rushed into the chamber. "Is my mom going to be okay?" he asked hopefully. John continued watching in shock as his alter image smiled at Uly and responded, "We'll know in a little while, champ."  
  
John turned to the Uly standing beside him. "This isn't what happened, Uly, what's going on? What are the Terrians trying to show you?"  
  
"I don't know," Uly lied. John wasn't totally refusing to consider what he was seeing. ~Maybe he's starting to remember,~ Uly thought hopefully. "We have to watch and see," he said.  
  
John just shook his head and turned to watch, mesmerized, as the half-hour Julia expected to see results passed by. He saw Yale rush in the chamber, followed closely by True, who threw herself in his alter image's arms. "What did you find, Julia?" Yale asked.  
  
Julia turned to explain what she suspected to the growing group of people crowding in the small chamber of the ship. "Well, I think she has enbeeseaosis." {See Author's Note}  
  
"Enbeeseaosis," Yale repeated thoughtfully. "Isn't that the disease that was associated with that peacock massacre about a century ago?"  
  
"That's right," Julia replied. "People thought that peacocks carried the disease, but it was never proven, one way or the other. What we do know is that it's a viral disease, and it attacks with no rhyme or reason. It's a very hard disease to detect, and most patients die before their doctors find it. By putting Devon in cold sleep, that gave me the time I needed. And if I'm right, and it is enbeeseaosis, then what I administered will cure her," Julia finished with a smile.  
  
Everyone smiled back, and voices rose, praising Julia's expertise and perseverance. The doctor began to blush from all the compliments. "Hey, save the compliments for if it works," she said with a smile, showing everyone she was almost positive it would work. With that, everyone fell silent, but the smiles remained.  
  
John watched as everyone in the ship waited for the half-hour to be up. Then the time was over, and he saw a huge smile come across Julia's face as she scanned Devon. She turned to the group gathered inside the ship and announced, "She's okay!" As John watched everyone rejoice at this news, he fought the tears that threatened. ~This isn't what happened!~ he thought, although the scene was disturbingly familiar. 'They're still alive. Both True and Devon are fine.' Alonzo's words drifted back to him, but John refused to hope. ~No, they're dead, nothing can change that,~ he thought, but a small part of him was starting to believe, and remember.  
  
John continued to watch the memory play out in front of him, forgetting for the most part that Uly was still there. He watched as his alter image removed Devon from the cold sleep chamber and got an extreme sense of déjà vu as she regained consciousness and smiled at him. He watched as everyone welcomed Devon back to the living. ~This can't be real, it just can't,~ he thought, but that small part of him was growing larger as he watched the memories unfold before him.  
  
Uly saw that John was almost ready to remember, so he concentrated again and brought up the next memory.  
  
A new scene appeared, and now John saw an amused Alonzo watching his alter image pace nervously back and forth in a tent. He saw True and Uly come in the tent and watched as True soon ran off. He listened to the conversation, but didn't want to believe that this scene was what he suspected it was. Then he watched himself exit the tent and his suspicions were confirmed. This was his wedding. His heart caught in his throat as he watched Devon walk down the aisle. He watched the ceremony, and wished with all his heart that what he was seeing was real. ~Maybe it is,~ a voice in his head whispered, but John paid little attention to it. He watched the reception, and waited for Yale to announce that he had a special song prepared for them so John could watch their first dance together as husband and wife. ~No,~ John thought, realizing what had just went through his head, ~it's just my imagination running wild.~ Then Yale got up and announced the first song, and he saw himself dancing with Devon and holding her close, exactly as he remembered. ~Exactly as I remember,~ he thought. "Oh my God," he whispered, "I remember." And he did remember. He remembered that first night with Devon, and how he had mumbled a proposal the next morning while half asleep. He remembered deciding with Devon to follow Morgan and Bess' lead and marry for life. And he remembered that after the wedding, Devon and he had gone on a scout for a few days. ~If you could call it a scout,~ he thought to himself, smiling. ~After all, neither of us was really putting any effort into scouting.~ He finally noticed Uly's presence beside him, and smiled down into his concerned face. ~Uly must have come on to help me remember when I threw Alonzo off,~ John thought. He knelt down to face Uly. "It's alright Uly, I remember," he said.  
  
"Really?" Uly asked.  
  
John nodded and said, "Yeah, you did good, kid."  
  
Uly was ecstatic. He grinned and shouted "Yes!" as he threw his arms around John and hugged him.  
  
John laughed and returned the hug. ~They're alive!~ he thought joyfully. Alonzo had been telling the truth. He was just stuck on the dreamplane. ~What am I doing on the dreamplane, anyway?~ he wondered. He thought back, trying to recall the last thing he remembered before that nightmare. When he finally did, he went pale. He pulled back and looked at Uly seriously. "Uly, we've got to get off of here."  
  
Uly concentrated and looked away for a moment. When he looked back, he was close to tears. "I can't," he said. "You're stuck on here. Alonzo tried to get you off, and he couldn't. And I can't either."  
  
John stopped himself from swearing. ~I should have known he'd do something like that.~ He smiled reassuringly at Uly. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You have to leave, though."   
  
"But . . ." Uly started to speak.  
  
"I don't want you here, champ," John interrupted. "Look, send Alonzo on, okay? But you have to promise me that you won't come back here. Promise?"  
  
"I promise," Uly reluctantly agreed. He exited the dreamplane.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Uly opened his eyes to see Julia and Alonzo looking worriedly at him. "So how'd you do?" Alonzo asked.  
  
Uly smiled. "It worked! He remembers. But I can't get him off," he said.  
  
"That's okay, Uly," Julia said. "Maybe if you and Alonzo try together, you can get John off the dreamplane."  
  
Uly shook his head. "No, I can't go back. John made me promise. And he told me to tell Alonzo to go on the dreamplane."  
  
Julia looked to Alonzo, and he shrugged. "Okay, I'll go talk to John," Alonzo said. He grinned. "I just hope he doesn't slug me this time!" Uly grinned back and Julia just rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Uly's grin faded, and he said, "Alonzo, I didn't tell him about Mom and True."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Alonzo reassured him. Inwardly, he wasn't that happy about it. ~This should be fun,~ Alonzo thought dejectedly. But Danziger needed to know, so Alonzo would tell him. "I'll take care of it." Then Alonzo closed his eyes and entered the dreamplane.  
  
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The first thing Alonzo saw when he came onto the dreamplane was Danziger, pacing back and forth. John spotted Alonzo and quickly walked over. "Alonzo, he's after them, Devon and True. You have to make sure he doesn't get them, please," John pleaded him. He paused when he saw the expression on Alonzo's face. "What?" Danziger started to panic. "Alonzo, what happened?" he demanded.  
  
Alonzo hesitated and said, "True and Devon are missing."  
  
John turned pale. "Oh God, no," he said. Images of the nightmare he just escaped from flooded his memory. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the scenes from his mind.  
  
Alonzo hurriedly explained how True was upset last night and that Devon went after her. "They're probably just lost. We'll find them," he assured.  
  
John shook his head. "No," he said quietly but emphatically. "He has them."  
  
"Who has them?" Alonzo asked.  
  
"Bryan Gibson," Danziger spat out.  
  
"Who?" Alonzo asked.  
  
John realized there was nothing he could do for Devon or True right now. He tried to push his worry and fear aside and sat down. "He's Uly's father," John replied.  
  
Alonzo was shocked. "Uly's father? But I thought that she was artificially inseminated."  
  
John looked at Alonzo, surprised that he knew that, but did not comment on it. "She was," he said. Alonzo stared at him, still totally confused. John sighed. "Sit down, I'll tell you all about it. But, Alonzo, look, this is just between us, alright?" Alonzo nodded and John continued speaking. Danziger explained that Devon had told him the whole story. "Devon had dated Gibson for a while back on the stations, before Uly was born. Her father introduced him to her, and she thought she really cared about him for awhile. Then Gibson began to change. He started becoming obsessed with marrying Devon and starting a family with her. Devon wanted children, but Gibson was acting crazier and more obsessed by the minute. She dumped him, and he did not take it well. Gibson got mad at her and stormed off. A few months after that, she decided that she wanted a baby, and didn't want to wait around. She went to the doctor and was artificially inseminated." John paused to take a breath. "Unfortunately, Gibson was still keeping tabs on her, because he found out about it and bribed the doctor to use his sperm for the procedure. Devon became pregnant with Uly, and then she noticed that Gibson was following her. One night, she was walking back from a restaurant, and he grabbed her. Took her to some motel, and he told her what he did. He said that they would be a real family." John stopped again as he remembered how scared Devon had been when she told him about this part. She had been terrified. "He kept her there for a couple days. He never laid a hand on her, thank God, but he kept rambling on and on about their future. Anyway, one day, he locked her in when he went out for food and he never came back. Devon got out the next morning, and she found out that he had walked into a store and started shooting people, mostly men with their families." John looked at Alonzo and shook his head. "The authorities told her that he was dead, but it looks like he was sent here. It figures."  
  
Alonzo needed a moment to absorb all of that. "And he's the one that attacked you?" he asked. It seemed like too big of a coincidence, but then, stranger things had happened on this planet.  
  
"Yeah, small world, isn't it?" John began to tell Alonzo what happened to him that day three weeks ago. "I was out scouting. I had been out for about an hour when Gibson came up behind me and knocked me out. I woke up with my hands tied inside some cave. Gibson was there, and so were a few Terrians." He looked at Alonzo intently. "I don't think all of them were alive, and they had the same collars on that Gaal used. They couldn't go into the earth." John paused a moment. "When Gibson noticed I was awake, he came over to 'greet' me." John snorted derisively. "He told me that I had stolen his family and that he was going to take his wife and daughter back."  
  
Alonzo stared at him in shock. "Wife and daughter?" he asked incredulously.  
  
John laughed without amusement. "Yeah, for some reason this guy believes that True is his and Devon's daughter." He looked at Alonzo. "This just keeps getting better and better, right?" he asked ironically. "He said he was going to take them away from me, just like I had taken them away from him. He must have sent me to the dreamplane then, because the next thing I remember is living that nightmare."  
  
Alonzo absorbed what Danziger had just told him. "Um, look, Alonzo," Danziger fumbled, "I'm sorry I went after you before. I . . ." Alonzo interrupted him, "You don't have to apologize," he said. "If it was anyone's fault, it was mine." John nodded at him gratefully.  
  
After a pause, John asked, "So, Uly says I'm stuck here?" While Danziger didn't doubt Uly's word, he was finding it hard to just sit here and wait. Patience had never been his strong suit, and now, with Devon and True in trouble, his patience was wearing extremely thin.  
  
Alonzo could tell that Danziger was extremely concerned about Devon and True. He was convinced that Gibson had them, and Alonzo hated to admit it, but John was probably right. "Yeah, Gibson's keeping you here on the dreamplane somehow." Alonzo paused to think for a moment. "I wonder how he's doing that?" Alonzo wondered. "I wouldn't have thought that was possible. And he forced you to live a lie too. Lying on the dreamplane takes up so much energy, it's practically impossible to do." He looked at John expectantly.  
  
John just stared at him. "What, you expect me to know? You're the resident expert, Solace." Danziger shook his head. "The only thing I can think of is that he had a necklace of Terrian bones and there were some pieces of sunstones on there too." He shrugged. "Maybe that had something to do with it."  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Alonzo agreed. Something Danziger had said triggered his memory. "Wait a minute. If Gibson had you in a cave, how did you end up on the path where Morgan and Bess found you?"  
  
"I have no idea," John replied, surprised. "I'm in camp?" he asked. "How long have I been stuck here?"  
  
"Three weeks," Alonzo replied.  
  
"Three weeks?!" Danziger exclaimed.  
  
Alonzo looked at him guiltily. "Yeah, I'm sorry, man. I should've realized what was going on sooner."  
  
Danziger was shocked. ~I've been here three weeks?~ he thought. It only felt like a day or two. He looked at Alonzo and considered getting angry with him, but decided against it. It wasn't Alonzo's fault that he was stuck here, it was Gibson's. He shook his head and said, "'Lonz, it's not your fault, don't worry about it."  
  
"Thanks, but that still doesn't explain how you ended up on that path," Alonzo said. "I mean, it doesn't seem like Gibson would just leave you where we could find you."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Danziger agreed. He was about to speak when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He whirled around and saw a Terrian standing there. He jumped to his feet and swore. He started backing away from him, and the Terrian trilled.  
  
"Danziger, wait," Alonzo said.  
  
Danziger whirled around to face Alonzo. He noticed that the pilot was staring at the Terrian incredulously. "What did he say?" he asked.  
  
Alonzo was astonished. He wasn't sure that he heard right. The Terrian trilled again and repeated what he had just said. Alonzo turned his eyes to Danziger's curious gaze. "He said that he's the one who moved you to that path." John's eyes went wide in surprise. The Terrian trilled, continuing his narrative, and Alonzo translated. "He said that Gibson had captured all of his tribe except himself and two others. When Gibson captured you, they decided to get you away from him. So they went, and this one grabbed you while the others distracted Gibson." Alonzo was surprised, to say the least. These Terrians acted of their own initiative to stage a rescue attempt for Danziger, risking themselves in the process. This was amazing. The Terrian continued to tell his story. "He says that he was going to take you back to camp, but Gibson was still locking you into place on the dreamplane when he grabbed you. Consequently, he was drawn onto the dreamplane too. He could only get to the path where Morgan and Bess found you before he got completely stuck on the dreamplane." Alonzo shook his head and looked to a shocked Danziger. "By the way, you were right. The sunstone necklace is why Gibson can keep you here." Alonzo continued to translate the Terrian's trilling. "Apparently, the Terrians gave him the sunstones so he could communicate more easily with them on the dreamplane. Unfortunately, they didn't know what he was really like then, and he quickly learned how to abuse the sunstone's ability. He found out that Devon was here through the dreamplane. When the Terrians tried to take the sunstones back, he discovered that Terrian's couldn't harm their own, so he added the bones to his necklace." Alonzo shook his head as the Terrian described Gibson's actions. This guy was truly twisted.  
  
Danziger still couldn't get over the fact that the Terrians had risked their lives for him. "Alonzo, what happened to the rest of them?" he asked.  
  
Alonzo waited for the Terrian's reply, and then answered. "They didn't make it," he said sadly. "He's the last of his tribe."  
  
John had to sit down. Terrians had died, just to rescue him? He was grateful, of course, but he just couldn't understand why they would do it. "Why?" He directed the question to the Terrian standing before him.  
  
Alonzo, who was handling his surprise a little better than John, was wondering the same thing. The Terrian's only reply was "the link". "What?" Alonzo asked. "I don't understand." The Terrian elaborated. He told Alonzo how when the decision about curing Uly was made, his tribe had been the one tribe who was completely in favor of making the boy a part of the mother and accepting the humans here. His tribe had kept tabs on Uly, and they took it upon themselves to do whatever they could to protect Uly and his "tribe", the Eden Advance group. The boy was too young, and untrained, to do the job himself. Alonzo relayed this information to Danziger, and he could see that it surprised John as much as it surprised him. However, the Terrian wasn't quite finished. Alonzo listened to what the Terrian had to say, and a smile broke out on his face. John saw this and immediately asked, "What did he say?"  
  
"He wants to thank you," Alonzo replied.  
  
John looked from the Terrian to Alonzo in shock. This Terrian was one surprise after another. "Thank me for what?" he asked.  
  
Alonzo's smile stayed in place as he looked at John. "For watching out for Uly."  
  
With this statement, John understood, and a small smile appeared on his face. Thank him for what? For spending time with and watching out for a kid that he loved like a son? He addressed the Terrian again. "You don't have to thank me for that."  
  
"Well, well, well, isn't this nice." Alonzo and John whirled around to face the unexpected voice.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
To Devon, the night seemed endless. She tried to sleep, but every tiny noise brought her fully awake. She was terrified that Gibson would find out that True was gone. Devon couldn't let that happen. She had to get back to camp, Devon wouldn't let Gibson get his hands on True again. ~True's gone, she's safe. What is Gibson going to do to you?~ a little voice in her head asked. Devon tried to quiet that voice, which was growing harder and harder as time went on. Suddenly, she jumped up from her seated position. She heard footsteps . . . or was that just her imagination? She listened for a moment. No, she did hear footsteps! Devon quickly walked over to the hole that served as an entrance. Sure enough, Gibson was standing there, looking down. "Good morning, Devon," he said cheerfully. Devon shuddered. ~Yale, Julia, Alonzo, anyone, please come soon,~ she thought desperately.  
  
Gibson peered down into the chamber. "Where is the little one?" he asked.  
  
Devon thought quickly, and said, "She's still asleep. Probably for a long time yet."  
  
Gibson looked disappointed, but seemed to shrug it off quickly. "Well, I'll come down. We should talk."  
  
"No," Devon said, a little too quickly. Gibson looked at her strangely. "Um, you'll wake True, and she needs her sleep."  
  
Gibson looked closely at Devon, but accepted her explanation. "Fine, then you'll have to come up here," he said, tossing the vine rope down. Devon was about to protest, but decided against it. Reluctantly, she started to slowly climb up the vine rope. When she reached the top, she pointedly ignored Gibson's outstretched hand and climbed out on her own. She immediately backed away from Gibson. "Okay, so talk," she said. He started toward her, and she backed away even more. "Don't come near me," Devon warned, a touch of fear in her voice.  
  
"Devon, calm down, I won't hurt you. Don't you remember? We're a family," he soothed as he approached her. Devon only backed up more. He sighed and stopped advancing. "Don't worry, you'll remember in time. Now that I've eliminated that man's influence over you and my daughter."  
  
Devon went pale at this. "What? What do you mean?" She had a bad feeling he was talking about John. "What did you do to John?" she asked. Gibson was silent. "Tell me!" she demanded.  
  
Surprised by her outburst since she had seemed so frightened just an instant before, Gibson was speechless for a moment. He looked at Devon and saw the obvious concern and love for that man shining in her eyes. He grew angry. How dare Danziger convince Devon that she loved him! Devon was his now, and would be forever. "He won't be causing us any more grief. I've trapped him on the dreamplane." Gibson's anger faded as he remembered with evil delight what Danziger was going through. "He's living his worst nightmare." Devon felt a feeling of dread rise up inside her when she saw the grin that appeared on Gibson's face. "It's a great piece of work, I forced him to dream your death, and the little girl's too."  
  
"Oh no, John," Devon whispered in shock, too quietly for Gibson to hear. Excitedly, Gibson described in detail the rest of the dream he had Danziger living. Devon leaned against a wall for support. Tears formed in her eyes as she imagined what John was going through. She looked at Gibson. He was enjoying this! Every minute of it. He was the reason that John was unconscious. It was his fault that she had to go through all that fear, and pain, and heartache. And now, hearing him enthusiastically describe everything that John was going through . . . it was just too much. She didn't want to put up with it anymore. "How dare you?" she asked quietly, interrupting Gibson. He stopped speaking and looked at her. Her voice grew louder as her level of anger increased. "How dare you come here and rip apart my life? I'm not your wife, girlfriend, anything! I never was! And True? She's not even my daughter, much less yours! John is her father, and my husband. I love him, and he loves me. With my son, Uly, the four of us are a *real* family." Devon stood yelling at Gibson, tears running down her face. "Don't you understand? You and I were never a family, and we never will be! Never!"  
  
As Gibson watched Devon, he realized that she truly loved Danziger. He saw the truth. That infernal man did not steal anything from him; Devon was with Danziger by choice. ~You can forget about Devon ever caring for you after what you did to her lover,~ a voice in his head taunted him. ~She'll hate you forever, now. And the little girl that you liked so much! Ha, she's not yours, she belongs to Danziger. Face it, he has everything you've always wanted, and there is nothing you can do about it.~ "Shut up!" he yelled. Devon, startled, jumped back. He fixed her with an angry glare. "You may have been a family, but you're not anymore. It doesn't matter who was whose anymore. You and the little girl are mine, and nothing's going to change that. And your husband?" He let out a short laugh and then smiled sarcastically at Devon. "Well, I'd say seeing your deaths have been hard on him, don't you think? It won't take much to totally destroy him, will it? In fact, I think I'll tell him that you're both still alive. I'll give him that hope," Gibson had been advancing toward Devon while talking, and was right in her face now, "and then I'll rip that away when I tell him that I have you both, and he'll never lay eyes on either of you again." He fixed her with a malevolent gaze. "And then I'll finish him."  
  
"No, please, leave him alone," Devon pleaded, her eyes shining with tears. "Gibson, don't do this! Please! Don't hurt him, I'll do anything." Gibson's gaze traveled over her and Devon shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"Oh, you will do anything," Gibson said ominously. "But that won't save your precious . . . husband," he spat. He grabbed her and Devon cried out. Reaching for the vine rope, he proceeded to tie her hands at the wrist and then he secured her to an outcropping of rock. "We don't want you leaving while I'm otherwise occupied, now, do we?" Once he made sure that Devon couldn't get away, he closed his eyes and entered the dreamplane, eager to finish Danziger off.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
He entered the dreamplane, expecting to find Danziger there, despondent and depressed. That blasted Terrian had to be lurking around somewhere as well. He was very surprised to see Danziger, the Terrian, and the dreamer, Solace, talking animatedly. Gibson grew very angry. Evidently, Solace had figured out what was going on and freed Danziger from his carefully constructed nightmare. "Well, well, isn't this nice," he said sarcastically. He smiled evilly as Danziger and Solace whirled to face him.  
  
Alonzo and John were startled by Gibson's voice, and they both jumped up from their seats. "Gibson," John muttered angrily under his breath. Alonzo took a good look at the man who was causing them so much trouble. He was remarkably average. Average height, average build, brown eyes, and light brown hair. Unlike Gaal, he was well kept, and his hair was tied back, away from his face.  
  
"Ah, Danziger, how nice, you remember me." Gibson was fuming inside. This was most definitely not 'nice'. ~Showing him the truth about Devon and his little girl and then telling him that I have them would have destroyed him! Now that he remembers the truth I can't do that.~ Gibson thought angrily. ~Then again, maybe I can still salvage this situation.~ "So, are you enjoying your stay on the dreamplane?" Gibson asked. Danziger only narrowed his eyes, and Gibson went on, saying, "You can't leave, you know. The only way off is if I let you off." He grinned slyly at Danziger. "However, I don't see any reason to do so. I think I'll just let you stay here. Forever. Of course, you will have the Terrian for company."  
  
Danziger looked ready to hit Gibson, but Alonzo laid a hand on his arm and shook his head. John looked at him and tried to calm down. Alonzo was right; attacking Gibson at this point would serve no other purpose than to make him feel better. It wouldn't help anything.  
  
Gibson saw that Danziger was losing his temper, and was pleased. Gibson hated him. He wanted to make the man suffer as much as possible. Gibson played his trump card. "Your scheme didn't work, you know." Danziger looked up at Gibson and fixed him with a vicious glare, but held his ground. "I have them back now. We're a family again." Thinking about his family put a smile on Gibson's face. "My little girl will soon forget all about you and the lies you told her. Such a beautiful little girl." Danziger was fuming now, and only Alonzo's restraining hold kept him from going after Gibson. "And Devon and I are together again." Gibson stared off into space, thinking out loud. "I've waited so long to get her back. To be able to hold her again, to touch her again . . ."  
  
That was the last straw. Danziger saw the leer on Gibson's face and couldn't stand the thought of him going after Devon, hurting her. He felt his anger rising and shrugged of Alonzo's hand (which wasn't really holding him back anymore, Alonzo felt like slugging Gibson himself). Swearing profusely, John went after Gibson. He reached him quickly and proceeded to treat Gibson like a punching bag. "You stay away from her!! Don't touch her!! Don't even look at her!! Stay away from her, from both of them!! Leave them alone!!" Danziger yelled, not letting up on Gibson for even a second.  
  
Gibson tried to block Danziger's punches, and was successful at first, but more and more hits kept finding their marks. Gibson started to panic and tried to get away, but Danziger wouldn't let him. He couldn't exit the dreamplane, Danziger was too close. Danziger would be dragged off with him, and he would be free of the hold that trapped him on the dreamplane. But Danziger kept attacking him, and with no other options, Gibson did it. He released the hold that was keeping Danziger and the Terrian here on the dreamplane and left the dreamplane, bringing Danziger off with him. Alonzo and the Terrian watched as both Danziger and Gibson vanished. The Terrian quickly left the dreamplane, and Alonzo followed, only a moment behind him.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Julia and Uly were in the med tent, waiting for Alonzo to wake up and bring some news. Uly was sitting by John's cot. Julia, not as patient, was alternating sitting by Alonzo's cot and pacing the length of the tent. Uly was watching Julia pace when he thought he heard something. He turned his head back to John, but nothing had changed. He was still lying there. ~I must have imagined it,~ Uly thought, disappointed. Then Alonzo bolted up in his cot. Julia was immediately at his side, and Uly was there a moment later.  
  
"Alonzo, what is it? What happened?" Julia asked worriedly.  
  
Alonzo just grinned at something behind them and said, "Look." They turned around and saw Danziger swinging his legs over the side of the cot and raising himself to a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then dropped his hand to see three faces grinning at him. He grinned back and was almost knocked over when Uly came flying into his lap. "Hey champ," he said while hugging Uly back.  
  
Julia got her diaglove out and went over to scan him, which was a difficult task, since Uly was apparently not going to move anytime soon. "John, how do you feel?" she asked, still smiling.  
  
John met her smile and simply replied, "You tell me."  
  
She checked her readings and met his eyes. "All clear. You're fine."  
  
Alonzo came up behind her and addressed Danziger. "Don't listen to her. She was reading you as fine when you were asleep, too." He looked at Julia and grinned mischievously. "She obviously has no idea what she's doing." Julia faked annoyance and threw the pillow from Danziger's cot at Alonzo. He ducked out of the way as John and Uly started laughing, with Julia and Alonzo cracking up immediately after them.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
True was running through the forest again. She ran for what seemed like forever, but she just couldn't find her way back to camp. That man would wake up to find her gone and he would hurt Devon because of it. It would be all her fault. Her vision became blurry and she swiped away the tears from her eyes. Eventually, she stopped and looked around. Nothing was familiar! She sat down on a rock and started to cry. First her dad, now Devon. ~It's not fair!~ Unnoticed, a Terrian appeared from the earth in front of her. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she let out a short scream. She jumped back and stared at the Terrian. She started to back away, afraid, and then stopped when the Terrian held his ground. She didn't know why, but she knew this Terrian wouldn't hurt her. ~Maybe he knows the way back to camp,~ she thought. "Hi," she said tentatively. "Do you know the way back to my camp?"  
  
His only response was to extend a hand to her. True regarded the outstretched hand for a long moment and then slowly extended her own hand to grasp it. She was still afraid, but she had to find a way to help Devon. She held the Terrian's hand, which didn't feel as gross as it looked, and suddenly felt herself being pulled downwards. She didn't even have time to scream as she was pulled beneath the earth.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Devon tugged frantically at the rope binding her hands, but it was useless. She couldn't loosen them. She also tried to reach Gibson, to kick him or wake him up, anything to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do with John. But that didn't work either. He was just out of the reach of her legs. Suddenly, Gibson sat bolt upright, and she stilled her movements immediately.  
  
Gibson sat on the hard cave floor, breathing deeply and trying to control his anger. ~He's free!!~ he thought angrily. ~That blasted Terrian is free too, and that means it's only a matter of time before someone shows up here.~ All of his plans were unraveling. Devon and the little girl would soon be back with that man and the rest of their group. He looked at Devon. ~But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun first. "Well, that's one problem taken care of," he said, grinning. ~Might as well let her think I got rid of Danziger,~ he thought. ~She'll find out the truth soon enough.~  
  
Devon bit her lip to keep from crying, but tears still appeared in her eyes. She glared at Gibson with a gaze full of anger and hatred, but she did not say anything. She didn't trust her voice.  
  
Gibson approached her and Devon shrank back. "Now, why don't we have some fun," he said with a sadistic grin as he untied Devon from the outcropping of rock, while still keeping her hands tied. She tried to back away, but Gibson kept a firm grip on the rope. He moved his face closer and tried to kiss her, but she kicked out with her leg and hit him in the shin. He yelled in pain and then glared at Devon. "You'll pay for that," he said, and without warning, knocked her to the ground. Devon cried out and tried to get back on her feet, but Gibson was always there, blocking her efforts.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Back at camp, Julia and Alonzo were arguing with Danziger. Uly was sitting quietly, out of the way, listening to every word with wide, frightened eyes. John pulled on his jacket and spotted a gear set lying on the table of the med tent. He grabbed it and stuffed it into a pocket while Julia glared at him.  
  
"You really should be resting, John," she said.  
  
"Julia, I've been 'resting' for three weeks. I think that's long enough, don't you?"  
  
"Danziger, you don't even know where he's got them," Alonzo tried to reason with him. "How are you going to find them? And what if Gibson is able to trap you on the dreamplane again?"  
  
Danziger fixed both of them with a determined gaze. "I'll take my chances. Look, you guys, this is not open for discussion. He has them, and I am going to go find them and get them back." Danziger's gaze fell to Uly, who was still sitting in the corner. He went over and knelt to look Uly in the eye. "Hey, champ, don't worry. I'm gonna get your mom and True back, all right?"  
  
Uly didn't want him to go, but he knew that there was really nothing that could stop John from going. Uly wanted to go and look too, but he also knew that John would never, ever, agree to that. So Uly just nodded and gave John a half-hearted smile.  
  
At that moment, the Terrian and True appeared out of the earth in the middle of camp. All of them heard the commotion and hurried outside. John was first out, and he saw his daughter facing away from him, her hand gripping the Terrian's. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was okay. Gibson didn't have her. "True!" he called.  
  
True clutched the Terrian's hand. ~What a ride!~ she thought. That was like nothing she had ever experienced before, even in VR on the stations. She looked around and was overjoyed to find herself back in camp. ~I hope he knows where Devon is. I won't be able . . .~ Suddenly, her father's voice broke into her thoughts. She froze and thought, ~No way.~ She was sure she was imagining it. Still, she couldn't help but turn toward the sound of his voice.  
  
It wasn't her imagination! He was really there. "Daddy!" she cried, a huge grin appearing on her face. All other troubles were forgotten for the moment. Her dad was okay, and that was all True was concerned with right now. She let go of the Terrian's hand and ran for her father.  
  
John walked a few steps toward his daughter and dropped to one knee, arms outstretched. He caught True in a fierce hug.  
  
"Daddy, you're okay," she said.  
  
"Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine." He pulled back so he could look her over. "Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly.  
  
True's smile faded as she remembered what happened. She looked at her father worriedly. "Dad, he's got her. He's gonna be mad when he wakes up."  
  
John went pale. Devon was still with Gibson, that slime. "True, is there any chance Devon got away the same way you did?"  
  
True shook her head. "No, the hole was too small. Devon wouldn't fit." She was really scared now. If her dad was this worried, it must be bad. She thought of something that he needed to know. "Dad, he's crazy. He thinks I'm his daughter."  
  
"I know, True-girl." True was surprised. ~He knows?~ John continued speaking. "Do you know the way back?"  
  
True shook her head. Then the Terrian trilled. John looked from the Terrian to Alonzo and demanded, "What did he say?"   
  
Alonzo concentrated a moment before speaking. "He says that he can take you to her."  
  
The Terrian trilled again, as if in agreement with what Alonzo said, and then extended a hand to John. He knew instantly what the Terrian was asking. John stared at the hand for a split second before making his decision. On the one hand, he had never completely trusted the Terrians. He just didn't understand them. But on the other hand, this Terrian was different. The one thought that drowned out all the others was Devon. ~She needs you!!~ his mind screamed at him. Pushing all of his doubts and fears aside, he set his daughter aside and grabbed the Terrian's hand. "Let's go," he said, and nodded to the Terrian. Before anyone could react, they were gone.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Morgan had finally convinced Bess to come back to camp. Although he had a feeling the only reason Bess came back was to get away from his nagging for a while, he didn't care. At least she was going to rest back at camp now.  
  
They walked toward camp in silence. They were almost there when they heard a commotion from camp. Morgan looked at Bess in confusion and she returned the look. All of a sudden, True came crashing into Morgan, almost knocking him over. He grabbed her to steady himself and she struggled to get free. "Let me go!" she yelled. "I have to go find them!"  
  
Morgan kept his hold on the girl. He was about to scold her for not watching where she was going, but then Alonzo, Uly, and Julia came running after her. "True, thank goodness." Julia said.  
  
Alonzo knelt down to True's level. "Look, don't worry, your dad's going to be fine. He'll get Devon and they'll be back before you know it."  
  
Morgan and Bess stared at them in shock. "What are you talking about?" Morgan asked. "Danziger's awake? And he went to find Devon?"  
  
Julia nodded at them. "Yes, he's awake. It's a long story."  
  
Alonzo broke in. "What are you doing back so soon, anyway?" Morgan and Bess shared a look, and Bess replied. "Um, I wanted to talk to Julia. I'll tell you later," she said to Julia's questioning gaze.   
  
"Alright," Julia said. "Come on, we'll fill you in on what happened." True looked like she wanted to run off again, but Morgan's hands were still on her shoulders and someone was bound to catch her if she tried to run, so she just grimaced and went back to camp.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
The Terrian and John erupted out of the earth right outside the cave. John was disoriented for a second, and then he heard Devon's cries from inside the cave. He quickly ran inside and saw Gibson trying to pin Devon to the ground. She was thrashing violently, trying to keep him away. Her hands, bound at the wrists, hampered her efforts. Letting out a yell, John grabbed Gibson and pulled him off of her. He spun Gibson around to face him. He was too surprised to put up much of a fight. Pinning Gibson's arms to his sides, John growled at him in his most threatening voice. "I told you to stay away from her." That said, he swung his fist and hit him in the face. As Gibson dropped to the ground, unconscious, John grabbed the Terrian bone and sunstone necklace, ripping it of his neck and tossing it across the cave floor. As soon as the necklace was torn from his neck, Gibson was pulled underneath the earth.  
  
With Gibson out of the way, he turned his attention to Devon. He went to her and knelt beside her. She was staring at him in surprise and shock. John immediately started working on freeing her hands. When that was done, he brought them to his lips for a kiss and then started slowly rubbing them with his own hands, to get her circulation going again. Looking at her in concern, he asked, "Devon, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" She didn't respond. After a moment, she pulled one of her hands free and gingerly reached for his face. She pulled her hand back before she reached it, as if she was afraid he'd disappear. "John?" she asked shakily. John laid his hand against her cheek, completing the motion she did not. "Devon, it's alright. It's me, I'm here."  
  
He was all right. He was awake. John was kneeling in front of her, looking at her worriedly, and it wasn't a dream. All the emotions she had tried to suppress started surfacing. The loneliness, the fear she had felt for John these past few weeks and the terror she had just now felt for herself. Tears welled up in her eyes. John saw this and pulled her close. She clung to him while he wrapped his arms tighter around her. "John, I was so scared, he tried. . ." her voice broke and she let it all out as she cried shamelessly against his shoulder.  
  
John held her tightly. "It's okay, Dev, I'm here now. No one's going to hurt you." He whispered soothingly against her hair as she cried. The memories of his dream still haunted him, and then knowing she was in that shanking bastard's hands, even for a short time . . . "Devon, did he . . .?" He couldn't bring himself to ask the question.  
  
"No," Devon replied, her flood of tears and emotions ebbing, though she still held tight to John. "He didn't have a chance." With John's strong arms wrapped around her, Devon felt safe again. She drew back so she could look at him. With a feather-light touch, she ran her hand across his face, from his forehead to his square jaw. Abruptly, she pulled his face down and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. John was surprised for a moment (but only a moment) and then returned the kiss with equal passion. He closed his eyes and the only thing he was aware of was Devon and her mouth as it moved against his. After a time they parted, both of them breathless from the kiss.  
  
John smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "Now, what was that for?" he asked.  
  
"I missed you," Devon said simply.  
  
"Oh, so you noticed I was gone?" he returned playfully, leaning back on his heels.  
  
She shook her head and smiled. "If you ever scare me like that again . . ." she let the threat trail off.  
  
"Don't worry, I don't ever want to go through that again," John replied, grimacing as he remembered the nightmare he experienced on the dreamplane. Devon was silent, and John looked up to see sympathetic understanding in her eyes. He squeezed her hand and asked, "You know?" She nodded, and he let out a shaky breath. "God, it was so *real*. I was convinced that you and True were dead," he whispered.  
  
Devon reached out a hand to caress his cheek. He returned her half-smile with one of his own. "How did you finally remember?" she asked.  
  
This brought a full smile to John's face. "Well, after I nearly punched Alonzo out for trying to explain it all," he said, "Uly came on the dreamplane. He was able to show me what was really going on." John shook his head. "He's something else, you know?"  
  
Devon smiled at him and was about to reply when she remembered. Kids. "Oh no," Devon said frantically, "True. We've got to find her."  
  
"Don't worry, True's fine, she's back at camp," John reassured her.  
  
"You saw her?" Devon asked. John nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait," Devon asked skeptically, "how did you get here so quickly?"  
  
"Oh, that. Well," he stood and led her outside. The Terrian was still standing there, waiting. "He gave me a ride."  
  
Devon looked at him, surprised. "He did?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm hoping he'll give us a ride back, seeing as how I don't have a clue where we are." The Terrian trilled, pointed towards the woods, and sank into the earth. John stared at the mound of displaced soil. "Or, we could walk back," he said.  
  
Devon suppressed a laugh at the expression on John's face. "Well, I suppose we'd better get going," she said. "We were walking for a long time last night. It will take us a while to get back to camp."  
  
"Yeah," John agreed, "but I'd better call camp, let them know we're okay." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the gear set.  
  
Devon looked at him with an amused expression. "You mean, you actually remembered to bring your gear for once?" she teased. John shot her a look as he adjusted the set on his head and Devon laughed. She stood off to the side, quiet, so he could talk to camp.  
  
John activated the gear. "Danziger to camp," he said. "Anybody home?"  
  
"John!" Julia's relieved voice floated over the channel. "Are you all right? Did you find Devon?"  
  
Danziger smiled. "Yeah, I found her. You can call back the search parties. We're both fine."  
  
Julia returned the smile. "That's great!" she exclaimed. "What about Gibson?"  
  
"He's taken care of," John said abruptly. It was clear he didn't want to comment further.  
  
"So, when should you guys get back?" asked Alonzo, who decided to join the conversation.  
  
"Not for a while," Danz replied. "Few hours, at least." Alonzo grinned, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Oh don't give me that look, Solace." He rolled his eyes at the pilot. "We've got a long way to walk." Alonzo just kept grinning that same grin. John was going to continue protesting, but his eye caught a reading on the gear screen. "Damn," he said.  
  
"What is it?" three voices asked him at once. Danziger smiled at that, but the smile quickly faded. "This gear's charge is almost gone. We won't be able to call in again." Julia and Alonzo looked worried, and Devon came over and squeezed his hand. He smiled at her and squeezed back. "Don't worry," he said to Julia and Alonzo. "Tell the kids and everyone that we'll be back as soon as we can." They both nodded. "Danziger out." He reached up and deactivated the gear. He examined it closely, and said, "Well, that was it for this set. At least until we get it recharged."  
  
Devon, still holding his hand, said, "So, I guess we'd better get going, right?" As she gazed at him, a part of her wanted nothing more than to stay here and continue what they started with the kiss in the cave. Three weeks, after all, was a long time. But another voice, louder for the moment, told her that everyone would be waiting for them back in camp, and there wasn't time right now, but there would be later.  
  
John turned his head and looked at her. His breath caught in her throat as he once again realized how beautiful she was. After that kiss in the cave, her nearness was playing havoc with his senses. Slowly, he met her eyes. In them he saw a reflection of his own desire. But everyone was waiting, and he silently promised her later. "Yeah, we'd better start back," he said, not breaking the mesmerizing gaze between them.  
  
"Yeah," Devon agreed. ~Later,~ she thought. Then they started walking, hands still joined, in the direction the Terrian had pointed.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Yale and Matazl were searching to the north of camp, unsuccessful in finding any trace of Devon or True, when their gear beeped. Yale quickly activated his set. "Any word?" he asked anxiously. Julia was on the other end, and she smiled at him. "Yes, everyone's okay. True's back, and Danziger's awake. He and Devon will be back in camp soon."  
  
A wide grin broke out over Yale's face. He glanced at Matazl, who was also grinning. "That's great!"  
  
Julia nodded in agreement. "We're calling everyone back to camp. We'll tell you the whole story then. Julia out."  
  
Yale deactivated his gear set, and saw Matazl doing the same. Yale felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Although he didn't understand how yet, True, Devon, and John were all okay. He and Matazl hurried back to camp to hear the rest of the story.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Devon and John walked back to camp, hand in hand, at a leisurely pace. They had talked about what happened to John on the dreamplane. John described the dream from his point of view, and he also told Devon how Uly helped him to remember the truth and how he had eventually gotten off the dreamplane. Devon caught John up on what he had missed while he was unconscious, but now they just walked in silence. Devon looked down and she grinned. "John, your shoe's untied."  
  
John looked at her skeptically. The old joke had somehow survived through the centuries.  
  
"No, it's really untied," she said. He looked down and saw that she was right. His left boot was undone. He bent to tie it, and Devon kept walking.  
  
"Hey, wait up," John said, finishing quickly.  
  
Devon turned and smiled at him, but kept walking backwards. "Come on, don't tell me . . . oomph!" Since she wasn't watching where she was going, Devon stepped on a loose log and lost her balance, falling backwards. One minute she was talking to John, and the next she was staring up at the sky.  
  
"Devon, are you okay?" John asked.  
  
There was something in the tone of his voice. Like he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. Devon propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, and sure enough, he was hiding a grin. She glared at him and he started laughing. She glared at him harder. "Oh, quit laughing and help me up." Still chuckling, he came over and held out a hand to help her up. He pulled her to her feet, and she let out a cry. She would have fallen again if John hadn't been there to catch her.  
  
"What is it Dev?" he asked, his amusement fading and concern taking its place. He lowered her to a sitting position and crouched beside her.  
  
"My ankle." She winced. "I must have landed on it wrong when I fell."  
  
"Let me see." John examined her ankle. ~I wish the gear worked,~ he thought. Now would be a perfect time to call Julia and ask her if Devon's injury was serious or not. "Well, it doesn't look broken, at least," he said.  
  
Devon looked at him, exasperated. "It's not broken. My ankle will be fine in a minute." She stood up, careful not to put any weight on her injured foot. "Come on, let's go."  
  
He watched her, concerned. "Devon, I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't walk on your ankle, it might make it worse. I could carry you," he offered.  
  
She leaned against a tree and glared at him again. "No, I can walk. My ankle will be fine, I do not need to be carried."  
  
John sighed. She was being stubborn again, as usual. He shook his head and went over to her so she could lean on him. They started towards camp. It was slow going, because Devon was favoring her ankle considerably. She winced in pain every time she put even the slightest pressure on it. After a minute, he said, "Devon, it's not getting any better. Are you sure that you don't . . ."  
  
"I'm fine!" she interrupted, concentrating on putting as little pressure as possible on her ankle. She stepped on it lightly, and even that slight pressure caused a wince of pain that Devon couldn't contain.  
  
John saw her wince in pain again. ~Oh this is ridiculous,~ he thought. Before she could protest, he lifted her up into his arms.  
  
"Hey!" she complained. She glared at him yet again. "My ankle is fine. Put me down so I can walk."  
  
He glared right back at her and started walking. "Sure your ankle is fine. That's why you're wincing in pain with each step."  
  
They continued to glare at each other, the same thought running through their minds. ~He/She is so stubborn!~  
  
Devon opened her mouth to continue arguing, and then suddenly wondered why she was arguing at all. The truth was, she didn't think she could walk all that far anyway. And if the alternative was being carried in John's arms, why was she complaining? She sighed and leaned against him. "All right," she conceded.  
  
John stopped in his tracks, a surprised expression on his face. "Wow," he said.  
  
"What?" Devon asked, craning her neck to look up at him.  
  
"That must be some kind of record. Usually, it takes me a lot longer to win an argument with you," he said, grinning. Devon grinned back and swatted his arm. Then she settled back against him, her head against his chest. As she listened to the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat, the previous night's sleeplessness caught up to her, and she started drifting off. She was soon fast asleep, despite her efforts to stay awake. John looked down at her when she finally nodded off and smiled. She needed some rest. He could tell Devon was exhausted. He couldn't keep track of time exactly, but he had been walking for a couple hours when the Terrian started reappearing again. He had drifted from the direction the Terrian had pointed them in, and when that happened, the Terrian reappeared and pointed him back in the right direction. The first time it happened, John was so startled he almost dropped Devon. She stirred, but didn't wake up, and John continued to travel towards camp. The Terrian reappeared a few times more, always pointing John back in the right direction and then immediately sinking back into the earth.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Back at camp, Morgan kept a close eye on True and Uly. They both seemed a little calmer since Danziger called in, but they were disappointed that they weren't able to talk to Devon or him. But Morgan didn't want to take the chance that True, or even Uly, would run off again. Bess would kill him if they did. He looked over to the med tent, where Julia was examining Bess right now. ~How long does it take?~ thought Morgan impatiently.  
  
Then Alonzo came back into camp with Yale and Matazl. Alonzo had gone out to watch for the returning search parties. True and Uly jumped up and ran to greet them, and Yale caught both of them in a hug. Bess and Julia came out of the med tent with smiles on their faces, unnoticed except by Morgan. He shot Bess a questioning gaze. She just walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. ~I'm going to be a father,~ he thought as his stomach turned upside down, like he was on an old-fashioned thrill ride. He continued to wear the same dazed expression while the rest of the search parties returned, and all through Julia and Alonzo's account of everything that had happened. But no one noticed Morgan's distraction.  
{End part.}  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Devon was still asleep in John's arms as they traveled back to camp. It had become late, but it was a clear night, and the twin moons provided enough light to travel by. Danziger trudged to the top of a hill and found the welcome sight of camp before them. "Devon," he said, "wake up."  
  
Devon blinked open her eyes and looked up at Danziger. "Hey, why did you let me fall asleep?" she asked, annoyed.  
  
"You couldn't keep your eyes open," he replied. "You obviously needed the sleep."  
  
"Well, then why'd you wake me up?" she returned.  
  
He grinned down at her. "Look."  
  
She followed his gaze and matched his grin when she saw camp. "We're back!" she said excitedly.  
  
"Yup," John said, still smiling as he started to half walk, half jog the remaining short distance to camp.  
  
Devon tried to extract herself from his arms, without success. "You could put me down now," she said hopefully. John just looked at her. "All right, all right," she conceded. "I had to try."  
  
They reached camp and quickly made their way to the remains of the campfire, where only Yale, Julia, and Alonzo still waited for them. They were all half-asleep though, and Danziger called out to let them know they were back. All three came fully awake then, and they jumped up and rushed to greet them. Then they moved back to allow Danziger to put Devon down and sit beside her. "Julia, you better take a look at Devon's ankle," he said.  
  
Alonzo volunteered to get her diaglove while Julia bent to take a look at her ankle. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
Danziger grinned, and before Devon could answer, said, "She tripped."  
  
"Oh, don't start," Devon said, exasperated. "It was your fault, anyway."  
  
"*My* fault," Danziger said incredulously. "You were the one who wasn't watching where you were going."  
  
As he listened to the familiar banter, Yale smiled and looked knowingly at Julia, who had the same smile on her face. Everything was back to normal. "It's good to have you back," Yale interrupted, still smiling.  
  
Both of them stopped arguing and returned Yale's smile. Alonzo arrived with the diaglove and interrupted any other response. Julia quickly put it on and scanned Devon's ankle. "It's not broken, but it is a pretty bad sprain. It's a good thing you weren't trying to walk on it, Devon. That would have made it much worse," Julia said as she repaired the damage to Devon's ankle.  
  
Devon groaned and looked at Danziger, who had his mouth open, ready to comment. "Don't even say it," she warned. He wisely shut his mouth, and settled for a satisfied smirk instead.  
  
Suddenly, a voice pierced the darkness. "Uly, wake up, they're back!" True cried as she ran out of their tent towards John and Devon. She reached them quickly and tried to hug both of them at once.  
  
John and Devon returned the hug as Uly came running out of their tent also. True moved to sit in her dad's lap while Uly threw himself at his mom. Devon smiled at John over Uly's head and said, "This is a great welcome, guys, but you should be asleep. You both need it." She looked at True. "Especially you, True."  
  
"But I slept all afternoon," True protested.  
  
"Yeah, she didn't even help set up your tent," Uly complained. Danziger and Devon looked over to where he was pointing, and found their tent set up next to the kids', as it usually was.  
  
Devon stifled a laugh as True stuck her tongue out at Uly. "So, I've been kicked out, is that it?"  
  
"Yeah, you have," True said, smiling. "Besides, we're up because we have to ask you something," she said, a bit nervously.  
  
"Oh?" Danziger asked, "What's so important it can't wait till morning?"  
  
Uly and True shared a nervous glance. Uly glanced at Yale, Julia, and Alonzo, still sitting and listening to the conversation. Alonzo caught his eye, smiled, and nodded slightly. Uly looked to True again, and before either could lose their nerve, they asked at once, "Can I call you mom/dad?"  
  
Alonzo, Julia, and Yale all smiled at the shocked expressions that appeared on Devon and John's faces. Their shock quickly faded, and they smiled down at the worried faces looking up at them. Both parents accepted the offer enthusiastically, and suddenly True was hugging Devon, and Uly, John.  
  
Devon looked at John over True's head and smiled. He smiled back, and after a moment, said, "Okay, guys, go to sleep now. We'll see you in the morning." Surprisingly, the kids agreed without much protest. They walked to their tent, and then they stopped, glanced at each other, and grinning, said "Night, Mom, night, Dad." Then they ran into their tent, leaving Devon and Danziger to smile after them.  
  
After True and Uly disappeared into their tent, Yale watched as Devon and John shared a smile. He knew how much both of them worried that their relationship had moved too fast for the kids, that True and Uly weren't adjusting. However, Yale and practically everyone else knew that both kids loved the fact that their parents were married. To them, they now had a "normal" family. That isn't to say that Devon and John aren't good parents, or that Uly or True loved their respective parent any less. Yale knew that Uly was always a little jealous of kids with both a mom and dad. It was most likely the same for True. ~Maybe now they'll finally realize that the kids are really happy about the marriage and their new extended family.~  
  
After a moment, Julia broke the silence. "How's your ankle now, Devon?" she asked.  
  
Devon stood up and tentatively placed her weight on her injured ankle. She smiled and said, "Good as new, thanks, Julia."  
  
"No problem, Devon," Julia smiled back. Then she stood and said, "Well, I think I'll go and get some sleep now. Goodnight, everyone."  
  
Alonzo stood as well. He grinned mischievously and said, "Yeah, she *thinks* she's going to get some sleep." Everyone laughed as Julia faked annoyance at Alonzo. "'Night, everyone," he said as they walked off to their tent.  
  
"I think I'll be going too," Yale said. He walked over to Devon and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're all right," he said. He looked at Danziger. "And you too. You had us all very worried for a while."  
  
"Thanks, Yale," Danziger said, and he stood and walked over to clasp the cyborg's hand. Then he put his arm around Devon, looked around, and asked, "Who's on duty tonight, anyway?"  
  
"Walman," Yale answered. "You didn't run into him?"  
  
Devon and John both shook their heads no. "We probably just slipped by him," Devon said, but she was thinking, ~He probably fell asleep again.~  
  
"Well, I'll see you in the morning," Yale said, and walked off to the tent he shared with Cameron and Matazl. Devon and Danziger headed to their tent as well, John's arm still around Devon's shoulders. Suddenly Devon stopped and grinned. John looked at her as she motioned for him to be quiet, and then she pointed to what had caught her eye. Walman was sitting on a log at the edge of camp, with Magus, locked in a passionate embrace. John grinned, and then whispered in Devon's ear, "Well, at least he's not sleeping."  
  
Devon elbowed him in the ribs and bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. After a few seconds, she got her laughter under control and turned to look at John. "So," she said, her eyes twinkling, "do they give you any ideas?"  
  
John grinned at her. "A few," he replied, gazing at her in a way that made Devon melt inside.  
  
They went to their tent, and once they were inside, they met each other in a passionate embrace. They kissed and caressed, chasing away the memory of a torturous dream and the agony of separation. At one point, John paused to look at Devon. Resting a hand on her cheek, he said sincerely, "I love you, Devon."  
  
"I love you," Devon whispered back, her voice full of emotion. Then there were no more words needed between them.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
For some reason, Devon woke up in the early morning hours, when the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. She was about to drift back to sleep when she realized why she had woken up. ~Where's John?~ she thought, sitting up in their cot when she saw that he wasn't in their tent. She was almost ready to panic when John walked into the tent. Seeing the expression on Devon's face, he went right over to her and asked, "Devon, what is it?"  
  
Now that John was sitting beside her, Devon's feelings of panic just before seemed silly. Shaking her head and smiling, she said, "I just don't like waking up alone."  
  
He smiled back. "Sorry," he said, and crawled back into the cot with Devon. "I didn't mean to worry you."  
  
Snuggling up next to him, Devon asked, "Where did you go?"  
  
John hesitated. "I, uh, went to check on the kids." Devon pulled away and looked at John, a question in her eyes. He hesitated again and finally said, "I had a dream and I just felt like looking in on them."  
  
Devon had a pretty good idea what his dream was about. She knew they would both need time to put this incident behind them. But they would, eventually. "Okay," she said, "next time, wake me up and we'll go together."  
  
Danziger propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at Devon. "So, do you want to go to sleep so you can wake up next to me?"  
  
She smiled mischievously at him. "Well, I'm not really that tired. Are you?"  
  
He chuckled and lowered his face to hers. "I was hoping you'd say that."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Devon and Danziger woke up late the next day, to no one's surprise. At the first chance they got, Walman and Baines enthusiastically gave back the responsibility of the TransRover's repairs to Danziger. They were then immediately embarrassed to see him fix the problem they were having with the solar collectors in less than 15 minutes. Danziger just laughed and told them not to worry, it was an easy thing to miss. They walked off, still annoyed with themselves, while John cleaned his tools and put them away. As luck would have it, the crate where he stored his tools was right by the Martin's tent, and he could hear them talking. When he found out what they were discussing, he was shocked. ~Morgan Martin's going to be a father?~ he thought. Then he imagined Morgan waking up for two o'clock feedings and changing diapers, and Danziger had to stifle a laugh. He quickly finished putting his tools away and went to tell Devon.  
  
The last day at the lake passed quickly. Night came and everyone gathered around the campfire. True and Uly, with a little help from everyone else, managed to talk their dad into a ghost story. When he was done, True and Uly were sent to bed, in spite of their best efforts to stay out a little longer. The rest of the group stayed around the fire, talking, joking, and enjoying each other's company.  
  
Then Denner, who was sitting across from Danziger and Devon, caught a glimpse of two figures in the shadows, trying very hard not to be noticed. She grinned, and said, "Looks like we have visitors."  
  
Everyone turned and followed her gaze, and Devon shook her head when she found Uly and True at the other end. "Guys, why aren't you in bed?" she asked, fixing them with a parental stare.  
  
They tried to look innocent. "We can't sleep," True said plaintively.  
  
"Yeah, can't we stay up just a little while?" Uly chimed in.  
  
"Hey," John said, interrupting their protests, "No more arguments. Bed. Now." True and Uly took one look at their parents' faces and knew they were never going to win this one. They slumped off to their tent, defeated. John watched them go and shared an exasperated look with Devon.  
  
"They sure give you guys a hard time about going to sleep," Denner said, still smiling.  
  
John got an idea. Glancing over at Morgan and Bess, he said, "Oh, this is nothing," Danziger said, and nudged Devon. "When True was born, she woke up at least three times a night."  
  
"Uly too," Devon agreed, catching on. "I wasn't able to get a good night's sleep until he was 7 months old, when he started sleeping through the night."  
  
"Seven months?" Danziger asked. "Wow, True didn't sleep through the night until she was almost a year old." He was exaggerating slightly, but the look on Morgan's face was worth it. "And then, when she started teething . . ." John just shook his head and sighed.  
  
"Oh, I know!" Devon chimed in, also enjoying tormenting Bess and Morgan. They continued to trade parenting horror stories, Morgan and Bess growing increasingly pale with each one. Julia, the only other person in on the joke, started to shake with silent laughter. She covered her mouth to make sure no sound escaped, and tears started running down her face. Eventually, Alonzo noticed, and asked in concern, "Julia, what's wrong?"  
  
That was it, Julia couldn't hold it in anymore. She looked at Alonzo and burst out laughing. Danziger and Devon bit back laughs as well while the rest of the group looked at their doctor like she was going crazy. Julia began to get her laughter under control, and then she caught Devon and Danziger's gaze. Then all three of them burst out laughing. Bess and Morgan were finally starting to get it, and they shot the three of them a dirty look. Alonzo caught this look, and finally asked, "So, you want to let the rest of us in on the joke?"  
  
By this time, Danziger had gotten his laughter mostly under control, but Devon and Julia were still giggling. "Morgan, Bess?" he asked, smiling broadly. "Do you want to let everyone else in on the joke?"  
  
"Not particularly," Morgan said dryly, which set all three of them laughing again.  
  
"What is going on?" Denner demanded.  
  
Bess and Morgan shared a defeated look, and then Bess announced the news. "We're going to have a baby," she said.  
  
After the initial shock, everyone broke out into grins and congratulated the couple. "Seriously, Morgan, Bess," Danziger said, "congratulations. This is great."  
  
"Yeah," Devon chimed in, "We're really happy for you two. You'll make great parents."  
  
Bess smiled and said, "Thanks." She paused for a moment and then asked nervously, "So, before, you were just making up all that stuff, right?"  
  
Devon looked at John, who was keeping his face turned away from Morgan and Bess so they wouldn't see him trying to contain his laughter. She looked into Morgan and Bess' nervous expressions and finally said, "Yeah, sure." ~No point in scaring them now.~ She said the next part with some hesitation, which she hoped they didn't notice. "We were just teasing you guys."  
  
"Come on guys, I won fair and square!" Baines yelled at Walman, Matazl, and Cameron, and then when he realized that he was the center of attention, said, "Uh-oh."  
  
"Won what?" Danziger asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well, um," Baines looked for a way to squirm out of the trouble he was in, but didn't find any. "We had a bet," he said. "On which couple would be the first to have a kid," he finished.  
  
"Which couples?" Alonzo asked, shocked.  
  
Walman answered him. "Well, Bess and Morgan, you and Julia, and Devon and Danziger."  
  
"When did you start this bet?" Devon asked.  
  
Cameron, a bit sheepish, answered, "Um, about two weeks after Devon got out of cold sleep."  
  
"You've got to be kidding!" Morgan exclaimed. "Devon and Danziger weren't even a couple then!"  
  
"Yeah," Matazl replied, "But they were the favorites. Cameron and Walman both picked them."  
  
Denner and Magus looked at the guys. "How could you guys bet on that?" Magus asked distastefully.  
  
"Oh, don't start," Walman replied, "after all, everybody was in on the pool for Devon and Danziger . . ." his voice trailed off as he realized his mistake.  
  
"What pool?" Devon demanded.  
  
Danziger turned to Alonzo and repeated, "Yeah, Alonzo, what pool?"  
  
"What?" Alonzo asked, trying to sound innocent. "Why are you looking at me?  
  
"Oh give it up, Alonzo," Julia said, "they know you too well." She turned to Devon and Danziger and said hesitantly, not sure of their reaction, "Alonzo started a pool in the winter camp on when you would finally get together. Everyone got in on it."  
  
Devon looked at John incredulously. He couldn't really blame them, Devon and him had started a bet of their own. He shrugged and gave her a ~What can you do?~ look. "So who won?" he asked, genuinely curious.  
  
Everyone looked embarrassed, and Yale started chuckling. Devon turned to Yale, amazed that he would bet on her, and said, "Yale, you won?"  
  
"No," he replied, still chuckling, "I didn't come close. Actually, no one here did."  
  
"Well, then who won?" she asked.  
  
Alonzo answered. "True and Uly."  
  
Devon bit back a grin. "You're kidding."  
  
Alonzo shook his head. "Nope, they came within one week. No one else even came within a year."  
  
Devon gave up and started giggling. John wasn't laughing, but he was close.  
  
"Hey, no one could have figured Devon being sick. That threw everything off," Alonzo grumbled, but he was hiding a smile.  
  
"We all need hobbies," Julia said, not hiding her wide smile. "This is getting ridiculous."  
  
"Yeah, but at least this is the last of the bets," Alonzo said. Devon let out a choked laugh and tried to disguise it as a cough, but didn't succeed much. Bess and Morgan gave her and Danziger a knowing look, and Devon gave up and started giggling again. When everyone started staring at her, she started laughing out loud. Then Danziger started laughing, and their laughter was infectious. Soon everyone was laughing, and the sound carried out into the night. And somewhere, a lone Terrian cocked his head and listened. 


End file.
